DEFENSE STEPS UP, BUT CSUN LOSES MATADORS SHOOT ONLY 29 PERCENT AGAINST SANTA BARBARA UCSB 57, CSUN 54.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

There was no tribal counsel. No $1 million prize. No office pools riding on the outcome. Or an audience that reached every corner of the country.

While the season finale of ``Survivor'' aired on CBS on Thursday night, Cal State Northridge staged its own game of survival on Fox Sports Net West 2.

The underdog Matadors survived a horrendous start against Santa Barbara and rallied from a 17-point deficit (19-2) just in time to take the lead before halftime.

It was made for TV. Only the underdog didn't win.

Branduinn Fullove, a former Simi Valley High star, made two free throws with 10 seconds left to give Santa Barbara a 57-54 victory over CSUN at the Northridge Gym in front of 1,419.

Markus Carr's 3-point attempt from the top of the arc clanked high off the back of the rim with a couple of seconds left and time ran out during the ensuing scramble for the loose ball.

CSUN coach Bobby Braswell said Carr, who made just 3 of 18 shots and went 0 for 10 from the field in the second half, requested that play.

``That's the shot I like to take,'' Carr said. ``I want the ball in my hands. It was a good shot and a good look, but it didn't fall.''

Carr wasn't alone. The Matadors shot 26 percent in the first half and 29 percent for the game. They didn't make a shot for the first 10 minutes, opening the game with 13 consecutive misses. They made just 9 of 29 shots in the second half.

They were sufficient in nearly every other category. CSUN was outrebounded just 37-34, and that was nearly a victory, considering 6- foot-9, 245-pound center Adama Ndiaye was held to just six rebounds.

The Matadors (3-10) fell to 2-2 in the Big West Conference and Santa Barbara (10-4) improved to 4-1.

``We're 2-2 and there are still 14 games left in conference,'' Braswell said. ``We played a good team and we had a chance to win despite how poorly we shot the ball. As a coach, I'm always looking for the defense that will tell us a lot about where we need to be.

``When all else fails, we tell our guys there's some nights you're not going to hit shots, but if you play good defense, you'll give yourself a chance to win. That's the only reason we had a chance to win that game at the end.''

CSUN forced Santa Barbara into 20 turnovers and committed just seven itself. And the Matadors had 11 steals. But as well as they executed their halfcourt zone defense and fullcourt press, without much offense to speak of, it didn't matter.

``It hurts, but it happens like that sometimes,'' said freshman guard Curtis Slaughter, who had a team-high 15 points. ``We've gotta put ourselves in a better position so that doesn't happen. It's all about defense.''

Carr survived an inadvertent hit below the belt just 1:13 into the game. He hobbled off the court, grimacing in pain. But a minute later, he came back. The senior had 12 points by halftime - including back-to-back 3- pointers within 30 seconds - during a 22-3 run to end the first half, in which CSUN led 26-24.

The Matadors were bolstered by a packed student section, egged on by the women's track team. They wore outfits ``Survivor'' fashion gurus would be proud of, jog bras and body paint on their stomachs which formed the word ``Matadors.''

The Matadors scored just two free throws until Slaughter, who scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 9:28 left in the first half.

CSUN built as much as a six-point lead at 43-37 during the second half on a pair of free throws from Lionel Benjamin. But Santa Barbara answered with a 7-0 run to take a 44-43 lead on a Fullove basket.

The versatile guard scored a game-high 18 points to help Santa Barbara win this round of ``Survivor.''

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Photo:

Lionel Benjamin of Cal State Northridge puts up a short jump hook Thursday night against UC Santa Barbara.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News