FOR NORTHRIDGE, PAYTON SHOWS UP AT RIGHT PLACE : CS NORTHRIDGE 78 E. WASHINGTON 75.Byline: Kevin KEVIN Keepers of the Eternal Vigilance of the Islamic Nation (fictional, from White Teeth by Zadie Smith) Acee Daily News Staff Writer From the time they first spoke with him last April, when he was interviewing to be their coach, the players on the Cal State Northridge basketball team have hung on pretty much every word Bobby Braswell Bobby Braswell, an American basketball coach, is currently the head coach for Cal State Northridge. Braswell was named the fourth head coach in Northridge history on April 30, 1996, succeeding the retired Pete Cassidy. has uttered. The passionate Braswell has stirred faith and talent inside the Matadors they didn't know they had. But he's not in any Hall of Fame. The entire season, Braswell has told his players this night would come. If they kept believing in themselves, they would win a close game. A 45-minute talk from Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1954 – November 1, 1999) was an American football player, who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football. in a crowded hotel room late Wednesday, in which the NFL's all-time leading rusher repeated that same theme, finally got the message to stick. Oh, and Trenton Cross, finally a starter again after 17 games as walk-on Lucky Grundy's back-up, scored 30 points as the Matadors beat Eastern Washington
It was Northridge's first road win in the Big Sky Conference and first victory this season in a game decided by seven points or less. ``It's a sigh sigh (sī), n an audible and prolonged inspiration followed by a shortened expiration. sigh of relief,'' said Cross, who has scored 76 points in the past three games. A 20-2 run that started with six minutes to play brought the Matadors back from a 68-58 deficit and gave them a 78-70 lead with 29 seconds remaining. Northridge missed three free throws after that, and a 3-point shot by Eastern Washington's Travis King had to bounce 1. bounce - (Perhaps by analogy to a bouncing check) An electronic mail message that is undeliverable and returns an error notification (a "bounce message") to the sender is said to "bounce". 2. bounce - To play volleyball. The now-demolished D. C. off the rim for Northridge to avoid overtime. ``I'll take it,'' Braswell said after the Matadors (9-12, 5-6) stopped a four-game losing streak and extended to eight games the losing run for Eastern Washington (6-16, 2-10). Cross scored 14 points in the second half. But it was a 3-pointer by Grundy with 58 seconds remaining that gave Northridge a 74-70 lead. ``I'm always talking about making big plays at the end of a close game to win it,'' said Braswell, whose team entered the game 1-7 on the road this season (0-3 in conference) and 0-7 in close games. ``We made plays tonight.'' Grundy, as Cross had early in the year, has fumbled the ball with the game on the line recently. He played just 20 minutes Thursday, but he was on the court alongside Cross the final five. ``Like coach says, you've got to make a play at the end of the game,'' said Grundy, who scored five of his seven points in the final 4-1/2 minutes. ``There's no time to be scared anymore.'' So, thanks to the talk from Payton, the early play of Cross, the late play of Grundy and the re-emergence of Kevin Taylor Kevin Taylor (born August 11, 1974) is an African-American professional skateboarder. He was born in Wildwood, New Jersey, began the sport at age 11, and turned professional at 16. Taylor skates in a regular stance, lives in Philadelphia. (18 points, seven rebounds), the Matadors are chokers no more. Braswell met Payton in the lobby of the team's hotel Wednesday afternoon. When Payton returned from a speaking engagement around 10:30 p.m., he called Braswell and asked if he could talk to his team. The Matadors were in Braswell's room, having just finished watching film when Payton arrived. He told them to believe in themselves and the victories would come. Braswell swore swore v. Past tense of swear. swore Verb the past tense of swear swore, sworn swear Thursday he had not briefed Payton on Northridge's struggles of late and inability to win close games. ``He said everything coach always says,'' Grundy said. CAPTION(S): Box Box: BIG SKY STANDINGS |
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