[0] CSUN FALLS IN 2 OTS : PORTLAND ST. 93, CSUN 90.

Byline: Brian Dohn Daily News Staff Writer

Fall behind with a disinterested opening to the second half, stage an energetic comeback in the final minutes and then lose in overtime.

Or double overtime.

It's got a familiar ring to it. Eerily familiar in that it may symbolize what Cal State Northridge is all about.

For the second time in three games it happened, and early in the Big Sky season it's put the Matadors two games behind the leader.

After rallying from a 12-point deficit late in the second half, the Matadors were beaten by Portland State 93-90 in double overtime Thursday in front of a boisterous 1,067 at home.

It dropped CSUN (9-6) to 1-2 in the Big Sky while the Vikings (9-3) moved to 2-0.

``It doesn't matter if it's overtime or quadruple overtime, it's 1-2,'' CSUN forward Jeff Parris said. ``You have to win at home. To win the Big Sky, you have to win at home.''

CSUN was led in scoring by Derrick Higgins' 18 points, though it came on 5-of-14 shooting. Forward Taplar Mvogo led Portland State with 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting. He also grabbed 13 rebounds.

``Our post guys were not good,'' CSUN coach Bobby Braswell said. ``I think their big guys got big rebounds.''

Portland State, which missed its last four free throws of regulation, took an 83-79 lead with 22.2 seconds to play in the first overtime. Jason Crowe hit a 3-pointers to pull the Matadors within 83-82.

After a Jamie Snook free throw, CSUN's Carl Holmes pushed it into a second overtime when he put back the rebound of Crowe's miss with 0.9 seconds on the clock.

The second overtime was much of the same. Portland State getting out to a lead and the Matadors trying to fight back.

But the Vikings, who were 3-13 in Big Sky road games the last two years, again built a 91-88 lead on Mvogo's tip-in with 49.5 seconds left before a mental breakdown cost the Matadors a precious possession. Crowe, who was splendid down the stretch, was nabbed on a five-second call while setting the offense to give the Vikings back the ball.

Crowe had two more opportunities to atone for the meltdown, but his runner from six feet clanked off the side of the backboard with seven seconds left and Portland State leading 92-90.

``If I had to do it again, I probably would have gone more inside (on the first miss,'' said Crowe, who scored 15 points and had six assists. ``It's a shot I feel I can hit, but I took a bad angle.''

Reggie Ball's free throw with four seconds left gave the Vikings a 93-90 lead. Following a timeout, Crowe's last attempt from 30 feet was swiped away by Ball as time expired.

Holmes pulled the Matadors within 91-90 on a pair of free throws. In fact, the Matadors' last lead was 70-68 with 1:55 to play.

The Matadors trailed 66-54 with 5:36 to play in regulation before the energy and enthusiasm returned to their defense. Not coincidentally, it happened when Parris began asserting himself on the offensive end.

CSUN, which lacked the patience to work for an open shot after blowing a 10-point halftime lead, began pounding the ball inside. It helped Parris get to the free-throw line, which ignited a 15-0 run.

But CSUN needed a lay-in by Brian Heinle with 16.5 remaining in regulation to knot it at 72-72, and the Matadors forced overtime when Higgins blocked Hasan Artharee's 4-footer at the buzzer.