CSUN STAYS IN HUNT; UPCOMING ROAD GAMES CRITICAL IN WOMEN'S STANDINGS.

Byline: LEE BARNATHAN UNIVERSITY BEAT

Once around the area women's hoop programs:

Cal State Northridge: A loss last week at Weber State didn't hurt much, but it dropped the Matadors out of first place. Beating Idaho State Thursday night helped, but the Matadors (13-6, 7-2) remain in second in the Big Sky Conference. Montana State (7-1) leads.

``This thing is so tight, it's fun,'' coach Frozena Jerro said. ``When the hunt's this close and this tough, you've got to want to hunt down whoever's on your back.''

The Matadors have that chance, since they have one game remaining with each team. But to have a chance at winning the Big Sky and hosting the postseason tournament, they must be successful during this critical road trip: at Northern Arizona Feb. 6, at Montana Feb. 11 and at Montana State Feb. 13.

That's three games in eight days, and each game has its own obstacles. Northern Arizona has the altitude, Montana has the tradition (five straight titles) and Montana State has first place on its mind. And Northridge beat all three here, so any of the teams could play spoiler.

``We have to get two out of three,'' Jerro said. ``We're capable of getting all three. A lot can happen. There's a lot of parity in the league. No one goes 16-0 like Montana did in the past.''

If the Matadors end their road trip in either first or second place, they're in great shape because their final four games are at home, including Portland State on the 20th and Weber State on the 25th.

``We have to take care of business at home,'' Jerro said.

No. 8 UCLA: The hierarchy seems clear this year in the Pacific-10: There's eighth-ranked UCLA at 8-0, followed by everyone else. A 90-53 rout of Washington on Thursday night further proved that.

But all is not well. Maylana Martin's headaches continue, caused by a spinal-fluid leak. Coach Kathy Olivier said doctors checked her Sunday and Tuesday but still aren't sure if plugging the hole in Martin's spine will solve the problem. Martin didn't play against the Huskies.

``It's a very unfortunate situation,'' Olivier said. ``She's not comfortable. She's frustrated.''

Martin hardly practices. Her minutes have dropped from 28 to 25 a game and she has to stretch out while on the bench to prevent headaches.

Still, she's leading the team and the Pac-10 with 18 points a game and often doesn't look like she's in any pain. In fact, she has moved into ninth place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,354 points. She needs just 11 points to pass Anne Dean (1983-86) and move into eighth place.

Regardless of injuries, the team continues to jell. Janae Hubbard, Marie Philman and LaCresha Flannigan are averaging double figures in points, and Erica Gomez's 8.1 assists a game leads the conference and is third in the nation.

``Everyone has dealt with the (Martin) situation very well, considering,'' Olivier said. ``Everyone's patient and understanding with the process.''

Winning has helped take some of the sting away, Olivier said. Now, it's up to her and her staff to ensure everyone stays focused.

USC update: Adrain Williams' ankle, which she injured early in last week's loss to UCLA, was bad enough to keep her out Thursday against Washington State.

Pepperdine notes: The Waves are tied with Saint Mary's for first in the West Coast Conference following Thursday's victory over the Gaels.

Coaches picked Pepperdine to finish in the middle of the pack, but one reason the Waves are exceeding expectations is the play of Alemany graduate Samantha Rigley.

Rigley, a guard, was committed during the season; in the offseason, she was interested in non-basketball pursuits. Coach Mark Trakh never liked that, and the two often disagreed about motivation.

``I don't know if I ever lived up to his expectations,'' Rigley said. ``I will be the first to admit I could have been a better player.''

A sprained ankle Oct. 15 didn't help Rigley's cause either. Trakh told her she would never see the court this season, in part because two talented guards were transferring in, Rasheeda Clark from Colorado and Kate Crane from Arizona.

Rigley rehabilitated her ankle, stepped up her work ethic and beat out Crane for a starting spot in Trakh's three-guard lineup. She's averaging nine points a game.

``She's really doing well right now,'' Trakh said. ``I'm so proud of her.''

Loyola Marymount: Coach Julie Wilhoit said the Lions have improved despite the 7-11 record. They led conference leader Saint Mary's for much of the game last week before losing by two (Saint Mary's received seven votes in the latest Associated Press poll). Then they beat San Diego by 20.

The week before, they beat San Francisco for the first time in 11 games - and on the road, no less - then lost by six to Santa Clara after leading by as much as 12 points.

Freshman Bryn Britton earned conference Player of the Week honors after scoring 33 points against Santa Clara. That was the most an LMU player had ever scored in a conference game and the second-highest total by a freshman in conference history.