Romar’s Waves Caught Unawares

In a single, startling six-minute span, Cal State Northridge went from winless and seemingly rudderless to a team with definite direction.

And moving at a furious pace.

The Matadors turned a one-point deficit into a 20-point lead and shocked Pepperdine, 81-66, Saturday night in front of 2,013 at Northridge.

Coach Bobby Braswell’s system of rapid-fire substitutions and balanced production, which worked only in spurts during losses to Arizona State and Oregon State, came together after a basket by Tom Prince gave Pepperdine a 46-45 lead with 13:20 to play.

Five points by Jabari Simmons were followed by four from Mike O’Quinn, a basket by Brian Heinle and a dunk by Derrick Higgins off of a blocked shot by Heinle.

Gerald Brown’s jump shot momentarily stopped the Northridge surge, pulling Pepperdine to within 58-48, but a free throw by Jeff Parris, a pull-up jumper by Greg Minor, a turnaround shot by Higgins, a three-point basket by Trenton Cross and a layup by Minor put Northridge ahead, 68-48, with 7:35 to play.

Six minutes, seven scorers and one overjoyed coach.

“When [Pepperdine] went ahead, our guys didn’t panic,” Braswell said. “We got down then went right back at them.”

Five Matadors scored in double figures. Higgins, a senior who scored only 10 points in the first two games, led with 17 and Simmons had 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

O’Quinn, a senior transfer from Loyola Marymount, scored 14, Minor had 13 and Cross had 12. Northridge shot 48.5% from the field.

“We are a very deep team,” O’Quinn said. “When it’s working, a lot of guys are contributing.”

Gerald Brown scored 19 to lead Pepperdine, and Prince and Jelani Gardner each had 14.

The Waves (3-1) rolled past three opponents--including Wisconsin--by shooting 52.6% from the field and making few mistakes. Harassed by Northridge’s pressure defense, the Waves shot only 38.9% and committed 17 turnovers.

“Northridge just beat us,” Pepperdine Coach Lorenzo Romar said. “We played on the road against a quick team, and we did not respond.

“When they went on that run, I thought we lost our composure a little bit.”

In recent years, Northridge opponents rarely seemed as if they were playing an away game because crowds were so small. But with the stands full and fans standing two-deep along railings above the bleachers on both sides of the floor, the Matadors were fired up in their home opener.

The attendance equaled the sixth-largest ever in the Northridge gym, which seats 1,850.

“We came out and saw the crowd and that got us real pumped,” Minor said.

The Matadors led all but the first 1:30 of the first half. Only once did Pepperdine pull to within two. Brown made two layups and a three-point shot in a minute to make the score 32-30, but Northridge scored the final five points of the half.

“That was key,” Braswell said. “Our guys fought back to lead by seven at halftime. They made their run and we kept our composure.”

Romar went from a man-to-man defense to a zone late in the half to stem the barrage of Northridge shots close to the basket. However, Minor, the Matadors’ leading scorer coming in, hit a three-point shot over the zone with one minute left in the half and added two free throws in the final seconds.

Higgins gave Northridge its biggest early lead, 28-18, on a steal and layup with 5:40 remaining in the half. The play came moments after Cross made the Matadors’ first three-point basket after seven misses.

“Derrick Higgins and Trenton Cross really stepped up their game tonight,” O’Quinn said.

Northridge also defeated Pepperdine last season.