CSUN SLAMS UCR TO STOP THE SKID CARR, BOYLAN TAKE CHARGE AS MATADORS END LOSING STREAK AT FIVE GAMES CSUN 73, UC RIVERSIDE 64.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

RIVERSIDE - Markus Carr is back. Ian Boylan never left.

In a sense, Carr, Cal State Northridge's senior point guard, was missing last week, plagued by a toe injury and poor shooting.

Boylan, the freshman guard from Oklahoma, is the only player from whom CSUN coach Bobby Braswell said he has received a consistent performance this season.

They both turned in brilliant performances Thursday. Boylan had a career-high 25 points and Carr added 18 as CSUN ended a losing streak at five games with a 73-64 victory over UC Riverside on Thursday at the Student Recreation Center.

``This feels good, there's no doubt about it,'' Braswell said. ``It's very big and people don't understand how big this is in the middle of a five-game losing streak.''

Northridge (9-15, 8-7) moved into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big West Conference. Riverside dropped to 8-15, 5-10.

Carr, who didn't practice this week until Wednesday, knocked down his first five shots. Boylan made 9 of 13 shots.

Carr provided the highlight of the win with an alley-oop pass to Jermar Welch, who dunked it for a seven-point lead, the largest either team had all game, at 68-61 with 2:15 left.

The last time the teams played, nearly three weeks ago, CSUN won 84-69 and moved into a tie for first place in the Big West. It was the Matadors' fifth consecutive victory. Freshman Joe Frazier was talking about getting senior point guard Carr back to the NCAA Tournament.

CSUN hadn't won since. And CSUN coach Bobby Braswell, disillusioned with the play of his veterans, threatened to play underclassmen if he didn't see results quickly.

Boylan - the lone player Braswell says has played with a consistent work ethic and intensity throughout the season - was brilliant. He gave CSUN its largest lead of the game at 59-53 on a rare four-point play with 7:09 left. Boylan made a 3-pointer from the left baseline and made the ensuing free throw after he was fouled by Aaron Hands.

Carr had a plantar wart removed from the web space between two toes on his right foot on Feb. 12. He didn't practice for precautionary measures to let the injury heal.

Carr struggled last week in losses to UC Irvine and Long Beach State, making just 4 of 23 shots. He scored 10 of CSUN's 12 points during a 3:16 stretch in the first half Thursday, the last of which was a fast-break layup for a 20-18 CSUN lead.

He scored his first points of the game at the free-throw line, where he's usually money, and scored his first basket on a leaner in the lane with 14:42 left to tie the game at 12-12. It was a clear confidence booster for Carr, who scored a total of 19 points last week.

CSUN guard Curtis Slaughter, who made just 3 of 11 shots Thursday, took just one shot in the first half and was held to five points. He made his first basket - a 3-pointer from the left wing - five minutes into the second half to give CSUN a four-point lead at 42-38.

Riverside center Vili Morton, who is averaging 11.2 points and a conference-leading 9.3 rebounds per game, was held to four points - all in the first half. He took just four shots. Morton did, however, block Carr's sixth shot attempt and had three blocks for the game.

Riverside guard Ted Bell, who had a team-high 19 points, was left open against CSUN's zone twice in less than a two-minute stretch in the first half and nailed 3-pointers both times. He made his first six of seven shots and had 11 points by halftime.

The Highlanders are struggling this year - their first in the Big West Conference and first as a Division I-A program. Riverside is in ninth in the Big West. But it can't qualify for postseason play until 2004.

The Matadors can still clinch a top-four seed for the Big West Tournament, which is March 7-9 in Anaheim.

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