Northridge Is No Different, Tumbles, 58-51

Many women’s basketball coaches think that facing Cal Poly Pomona is about as much fun as getting hit by a car. Cal State Northridge Coach Leslie Milke is no exception. The last time Northridge beat the Broncos was Jan. 20, 1976.

But she bravely marched her Lady Matadors into Poly Pavilion on Thursday night and Northridge marched out with a 58-51 loss, its 20th straight against Pomona.

It’s not that the Broncos hold some special spell over the Lady Matadors. They do it to everyone. The win was the 13th straight for the defending NCAA Division II champions and improved their record to 20-3 overall, 8-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.

A win against Cal State Los Angeles on Saturday would clinch Pomona’s 10th straight conference title.

Northridge, which slipped to 16-5 and 6-3, is in second place. The Lady Matadors entered the game ranked 13th in the nation. Pomona was ranked No. 1 for the sixth consecutive week.

Even though the Lady Matadors have been less than spectacular against the Broncos in the past, Milke entered the game optimistic.

“I really felt like this was the game that we were really going to do it,” she said. “The players felt that way, also. I think we gave them their best game this year.”

Pomona Coach Darlene May agreed that Northridge may still be a team to be reckoned with.

“I think they’re the best we’ve played in the league,” she said. “If things keep going the way they are, I would say that Northridge has the inside track to finish second.”

The top four teams in the conference will play in a postseason tournament on Feb. 28 and March 1 on the home court of the men’s conference champion. Pomona will play the fourth-place team, while the second- and third-place teams meet eachother in the other first-round game.

For a while, it appeared as if the game was going to be a repeat of the 91-59 rout of Jan. 18 at Northridge. The Broncos led, 33-18, with three minutes left in the first half, but Northridge scored the last two baskets and pulled to within 11.

With seven seconds left in the half, Northridge forward Regan O’Hara and Pomona’s All-American forward Vickie Mitchell got into a scuffle. Mitchell, who had 10 points at the time, was ejected for flagrantly swinging her elbow at O’Hara.

That proved to be somewhat of a turning point in the game.

“Sure, things changed after that,” May said. “When you take an All-American out of someone’s lineup, it’s almost always going to become a different game.”

Milke agreed that the loss of Mitchell was important to the Lady Matadors’ second-half comeback.

“That play had a tremendous effect,” she said. “I’d say it made about a 10-point difference.”

The difference wasn’t immediately apparent.

In the first eight minutes of the second half, the Broncos outscored the Lady Matadors, 17-9, to take a 50-31 lead. Lisa Potts, Mitchell’s replacement, scored six points during the run, but was virtually ineffective the rest of the way.

Northridge forward Denise Sitton scored the Lady Matadors’ first nine points in the half to keep them from being completely blown out of the gymnasium. Sitton finished with 15 points to move into sixth place on the school’s career scoring list.

Northridge pulled to within eight points, 53-45, with 6:02 left when reserve guard Marcella Nino hit an 18-foot set shot.

By that time, however, Northridge was hampered by foul trouble and came no closer until Lori Costello scored on a layup with three second left.

Sitton, O’Hara and Tara Flanagan, who have paced the team throughout the season, each had four fouls.

O’Hara fouled out with 5:41 left and Northridge still trailing by eight. Before Milke could choose a replacement, referee Lee Smelser handed free-throw shooter Debra Larsen the ball. She missed the shot and play continued with only four Lady Matadors on the court. O’Hara then ran back onto the floor. So did her replacement, Julie Middleton. Play was stopped, and it took Smelser six minutes to resolve the dispute.

When play resumed, Northridge committed six turnovers and Pomona increased its margin to 58-47.

“I thought we had a chance there for a while,” Milke said.

CS NORTHRIDGE--Sitton 15 and 12 rebounds; O’Hara 8; Flanagan 14; Costello 2; Loch 4; Nino 4; Middleton 4.

CAL POLY POMONA--Larsen 14; Mitchell 10; Flett 4; McCoy 11; Palmer 7; Potts 8; Gooden 4.