HAYNES STEPS UP FOR MATADORS IN VICTORY CSUN 76, UC RIVERSIDE 62.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne Staff Writer

Rob Haynes seemed to float into Cal State Northridge last summer. He'd been a good player at Mater Dei High of Santa Ana a year earlier, but drifted out of the spotlight the following year at Air Force Academy Preparatory school in Colorado.

No scholarship offers were on the horizon so he played in summer showcase tournaments trying to hook onto a program and land a late scholarship. By late July, he'd begun to make other plans.

Then, out of nowhere, the Matadors came into the picture.

``It was the very last minute, the very last,'' Northridge coach Bobby Braswell said. ``We were fortunate to get him in here because he's going to be a good player for us.''

On Monday night, Haynes proved his worth, scoring a career-high 12 points in just 20 minutes as Northridge snapped a three-game losing streak with a 76-62 victory over UC Riverside in front of 1,032 at the Matadome.

On a night in which Northridge's leading scorer, Mike Efevberha, was held scoreless in the first half, the only way the Matadors (6-6, 1-1) were going to escape with Big West Conference victory over the suddenly dangerous Highlanders (2-12, 2-2), who snapped Pacific's 31-game conference winning streak on Saturday, was if someone other than Efevberha started scoring.

Haynes, Calvin Chitwood and Terrell Jones all finished with 12 points, keeping the game close while Efevberha struggled through double- and triple-teams in the first half. Efevberha recovered in the second half with 16 points, but shot just 5 of 18 for the night.

``It was great to see the guys step up, because in the first half, for some reason I couldn't get my second wind,'' Efevberha said. ``I told (Haynes) before the game, just go out there and play. When he thinks about it, that's when he makes too many mistakes. But when he just plays, he's a great player.''

Said Haynes: ``That's all I was trying to do tonight, just play.''

--Also: Sophomore forward Calvin Chitwood, the Matadors `second-leading scorer, was injured midway though the second half on a scary play. Chitwood was undercut on an alley-oop attempt and appeared to land awkwardly on his right ankle. He immediately fell to the ground, writhing in pain. However Braswell noted that Chitwood asked to come back into the game several minutes later. Chitwood was able to walk off the court at the end of the game. He will undergo more tests on the ankle today and be re-evaluated before Friday's game at conference-leading UC Irvine. ... Friday night will be Efevberha's first game back at his former school. Efevberha played two years at Irvine before being dismissed for a violation of team rules.

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Photo:

Cal State Northridge guard Mike Efevberha drives past UC Riverside's Larry Cunningham during the Matadors' 76-62 victory on Monday night. Efevberha scored 16 points for CSUN.

Edna T. Simpson/Daily News

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