Big Victory for Northridge

Center Brian Heinle scored 25 points and had 13 rebounds to lead five starters in double figures, and Cal State Northridge came from behind to defeat Weber State, 96-86, in a battle for first place in the Big Sky Conference before 1,519 on Thursday night at Northridge.

Heinle had 12 points and nine rebounds during a second half in which the Matadors rallied from a 48-41 deficit to win their fourth in a row.

Northridge, 15-8 overall and 8-2 in the Big Sky, completed a two-game sweep of Weber State (11-8, 6-3) to move ahead of the Wildcats and Eastern Washington into sole possession of first.

“It just feels good to be in first all alone,” Heinle said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself. I knew I’d have to play well for us to win.”

Northridge out-rebounded Weber State, 24-12, in the second half, largely because of Heinle’s inside presence.

Forwards Jake Shoff and Ivan Gatto, and center Stephen Bachmann all played with four fouls in the final minutes while trying to contain Heinle.

“We had everyone guarding him,” Weber State Coach Joe Cravens said. “He presents problems for everyone. He’s the best player in the league.”

Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell pointed to Heinle while praising the Matadors’ balance.

“Brian made big plays around the basket,” Braswell said. “When you have a big guy on the block it can open up other things. But I could [point] to five or six guys tonight.”

Forward Jeff Parris scored 15 points and had eight rebounds in 27 minutes. Guards Markus Carr and Marco McCain had 16 and 14 points, respectively, and forward Carl Holmes had 11. Guard John Burrell had 11 points off the bench.