Northridge Wins Respect in Surprising Raveling, USC

The cheers that followed each Cal State Northridge basket were mixed more with gasps of disbelief than roars of encouragement in the opening minutes of Monday’s game against USC at the Sports Arena.

Northridge supporters, who made up approximately 35% of the crowd of 2,737, must have had trouble believing what they were seeing: A first-year NCAA Division I team with just seven wins was giving the best Trojan team since 1985 a run.

The Matador offense clicked like it has not all season, with quick passes around the perimeter and constant cuts to the basket.

“They stayed within their offense,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “They showed a lot of poise and they shot with a lot of confidence. I sometimes wish we exhibited patience on offense the way they did.”

Eventually, the Trojans’ talent came to the fore. Northridge was still within five with seven minutes left, but USC outscored the Matadors, 8-0, in the next 73 seconds en route to an 86-69 win.

“In the end, we wore them out,” Raveling said. “I looked down with 10 minutes to go when (Northridge’s Todd) Bowser was coming out and his uniform was drenched. It was only a matter of time.

“In the end, their three-point shots came up short. The same ones that were going in before. That is probably the best three-point shooting team we’ve played.”

Senior Kyle Kerlegan and junior David Keeter of Northridge were both on the mark from beyond the three-point line. Keeter hit three of six attempts and Kerlegan became Northridge’s single-season leader in that category with six three-point baskets on 12 attempts.

Kerlegan has 72, surpassing Derrick Gathers who hit 68 in 1988-89.

“We had a lot of adrenaline flowing because we had something to prove,” said Kerlegan, who led CSUN with 20 points. “I think the game was a little closer than the score indicated. Anyone who was here or watching on TV (Prime Ticket) can tell it was not a blowout.”

Northridge (7-13) led until just before the halftime buzzer, when USC’s Duane Cooper made a basket from a few steps inside the half-court line to tie the score, 37-37. A three-point play by Bowser gave CSUN its only lead of the second half, 50-49, with 14:46 left.

With Shelton Boykin on the bench with four fouls, Bowser was the only post player for Matadors, who were in a four-guard set.

Two of those guards, Sean Davis and Keith Gibbs, combined to hold Trojan guard Harold Miner to a season-low eight points.

“If they had a big guy in the middle and could use the other guy as a power forward (Bowser or backup Percy Fisher) they would be a nice team,” Raveling said. “It is hard for me to understand how they lost so many games.”