CSUN RALLY FALLS SHORT : NORTHERN ARIZONA STAYS HOT N. ARIZONA 74, CSUN 65.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

Cal State Northridge's improved play this season attracted the largest crowd to watch a basketball game in the Northridge gymnasium in more than two years.

But at halftime Saturday, the Matadors felt like asking the 1,151 in attendance if they could come back another time.

Slow to join the action after playing just one game the past two weeks, Northridge fell behind big, rallied incessantly and finally lost 74-65 to Northern Arizona, which remained unbeaten and atop the Big Sky Conference with its ninth straight victory.

The Matadors, who have lost two straight, fell to 8-10 overall and 4-4 in conference. They were 7-20 last season.

Gerald Rhoden scored 17 points to lead Northridge. Dan McClintock, the Lumberjacks' 7-foot freshman center, and Michael McNair, a sophomore guard, led Northern Arizona (15-3, 8-0) with 17 points apiece.

``I hope (the fans) don't take this as a reflection of what the team is capable of,'' Northridge junior Kevin Taylor said. ``We came out flat. We apologize for that. We hope they come back to see us again.''

Saturday's turnout was the first quadruple-digit crowd in the tiny Northridge gym (capacity 3,000 if the fire marshal doesn't get wind of it) since 2,013 saw California beat the Matadors 76-65 on Jan. 22, 1995. It eclipsed the season-high crowd of 832 on Dec. 12 for Ohio's 80-73 victory here.

WHen Keith Higgins' steal and running dunk cut Northern Arizona's lead to 61-58 with 3:32 remaining, the crowd noise reached its peak, and Northridge coach Bobby Braswell was practically delusional.

``It felt like I was back in `The Pit' at Eugene,'' said Braswell, an assistant at Oregon the past four seasons. ``I know I wasn't, but it was great. That's what we want to bring here.

``I'm happy (the fans) came out. I hope they weren't disgusted with us.''

Without being too unforgiving, there was plenty by which to be turned off.

Northern Arizona, save for its always-magnificent field-goal shooting, was not at its best to start the game. The Lumberjacks were safe, though, because Northridge performed much like a team shaking off the dust from a weeklong layoff, which it was.

Five minutes into the game, the Matadors were down 12-2 and had committed eight turnovers. Only briefly in the first half did they get close, and more turnovers ruined that run.

Northridge committed 17 turnovers in the first half and a season-high 25 in the game.

The Lumberjacks shot 62.5 percent from the field in the first half. But playing most of the second half without conference-best point guard Charles Thomas, who suffered an undetermined injury to his right knee seven minutes in, they shot 31 percent from the floor. That's 50 percent for the game - a poor performance for the nation's second-best field-goal shooting team. But it was enough to beat an opponent that made just 31 percent of its attempts.

Some of the Matadors' bad aim can be blamed on poor shot selection initiated by constantly having to play catch-up.

``We started horribly in the first half and the second half,'' said Keith Higgins, who had six steals, five of them in the second half. ``We got ourselves in a hole. We tried to dig out. We almost got there, but (the hole was) too deep.''

After Higgins' slam that made the score 61-58, Kevin Taylor made two free throws with 2:51 to play that trimmed Northern Arizona's game-long lead to a point.

``I think everyone on the team felt like we were going to win the game when we got close,'' said Taylor, who finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds. ``Then a couple bad plays and some fouls cost us.''

Northern Arizona slowly pulled to a 67-60 lead with help from Northridge fouls. With a little more than a minute remaining, Tom Samson and Taylor fouled out on successive plays. Higgins followed them to the bench with his fifth foul with 49 seconds to play. Trenton Cross had fouled out at the 6:01 mark.

Lucky Grundy's 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining cut Northern Arizona's lead to 67-63 and made the final minute suspenseful. But the Lumberjacks chose that time to start making all their free throws - 7 of 8 in the final 50 seconds. Thus, the nine-point final margin.

BIG SKY STANDINGS

School Conf Overall

Northern Arizona 8-0 15-3

Montana 6-4 14-8

Montana St. 6-4 12-10

Weber St. 6-4 10-9

Idaho St. 5-5 9-9

CS Northridge 4-4 8-10

Portland St. 3-6 6-13

E. Washington 2-7 6-13

Sacramento St. 1-7 2-16

Saturday's Gmaes

N. Arizona 74, CS Northridge 65

Montana St. 88, Idaho St. 74

Weber St. 72, Sacramento 67

CAPTION(S):

Chart

Chart: BIG SKY STANDINGS (see text)