UC Riverside
Cal State Northridge
Highlanders Foiled by Matadors, 74-56
2/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Cal State Northridge Matadors used a strong second half to defeat the host UC Riverside Highlanders, 74-56, in a Big West Conference contest in front of 1,117 fans at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside Thursday.
The Highlanders fell to 3-17 overall and 3-6 in the Big West. Northridge is now 8-11 overall and 3-6 in conference.
Jonathan Heard led the Matadors with 20 points. Northridge shot 42.1 (24-of-57) from the field and were 8-of-16 (50.0%) from the three point line. Bakiri Altheimer had 12 points and Rob Haynes had 10, including a three pointer with under 10-seconds left.
Sophomore guard Larry Cunningham, senior forward Steve Williams and junior guard Dedrick Bates each had 10 points in the loss. Cunningham was 8-of-8 from the free throw line but just 1-of-5 from the field. Bates had 10 points and seven rebounds, but suffered a knee injury in the second half. The Highlanders shot 17-of-41 (41.5%) from the field, managed just five field goals in the second half. (5-of-18, 27.8%). They were 0-of-5 from the three point line, snapping a streak of 306 consecutive games with a three pointer, dating back over 10 years. The Highlanders struggled with turnovers, committing 24 on the evening.
The Highlanders trailed 12-2 early, but followed with a 10-2 run of their own to cut the margin to two. Northridge took a 32-27 lead into the intermission despite the Highlanders outshooting them 52.2% (12-of-23) to 35.3 (12-of-34). The Highlanders hit just 3-of-8 (37.5%) from the free throw line and were 0-of-4 from the three point line.
Bates suffered the injury to his left knee on a drive to the basket in the second half. He will undergo further examination Friday morning, UCR Certified Athletic Trainer Tony Ontiveros said.
