Ugly Victory but Matadors Sitting Pretty

NORTHRIDGE — Considering they had just won their first game against an established Big Sky Conference team with a winning tradition, moved into second place in the conference and surpassed last year’s victory total, the Cal State Northridge basketball players sure didn’t look happy in the postgame press conference.

“I’d say it was the ugliest win we’ve had all year,” Northridge forward Tom Samson said after the Matadors’ 90-81 victory over Weber State on Thursday night before 701 fans at Matador Gym.

It was a peculiar sentiment for the Matadors, considering a couple weeks earlier, after a lackluster victory over Portland State, they were hooting and hollering and saying nothing matters but the final score.

“It’s a whole new attitude now,” Samson said. “I don’t think any of us are satisfied.”

Particularly not Coach Bobby Braswell, who was upset about the Matadors getting outrebounded, 45-34, and turning the ball over 16 times. These high expectations can probably be attributed to the fact that Braswell didn’t see Northridge play during its 7-20 season last year.

But when the first-year coach was pressed about the positive statistics, like Northridge’s 51.9% shooting, he relented somewhat.

“I bet if I go home and watch the tape, we probably did play well,” Braswell said. “We, as coaches, have a certain level of expectations. We look at the little things, like boxing out.”

The big things, however, are these:

* Northridge (8-8, 4-2 in conference) won its sixth consecutive home game and seventh in its last 10 overall, moving into second place in the Big Sky because of Idaho State’s loss at Northern Arizona.

* The Matadors won their first game against Weber State (6-8, 2-3), an NCAA tournament team as recently as 1995, after nine losses.

* Gerald Rhoden scored 31 points, his career high and the most by a Matador since 1994.

Rhoden was instrumental in Northridge’s first half, when he made four of five three-pointers and scored 20 points to help the Matadors to a three-point lead at the intermission.

But the Matadors came out in the second half with a different look: pounding the ball inside. Of Northridge’s 14 baskets in the second half, two came from outside of three feet. One was a three-pointer by Lucky Grundy, who had 16 points.

“It was a matter of taking what the defense was giving us,” point guard Trenton Cross said of the second half. “In the first half they were giving us the outside shot and in the second half they were coming out on us.”

Cross’ driving layup with 16 minutes to go in the game capped an 8-2 run that gave Northridge a 54-45 lead, which was all the cushion the Matadors would need.

Northridge put the game away with 48 seconds left, when Cross rebounded a missed three-point shot, then made a long pass to Rhoden, who put in a layup as he was fouled. Rhoden converted the three-point play to give the Matadors an 87-78 lead, which started the celebration.

“I think this sends a message to the rest of the Big Sky,” Samson said. “Regardless of who you are, when you come to Northridge you will be in for a battle.”