WIN GIVES CSUN CHANCE TO REACH PACIFIC HEIGHTS MATADORS TO GET SHOT AT REDEMPTION AGAINST NO. 18 TIGERS CSUN 72, UC IRVINE 56.Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer ANAHEIM - Cal State Northridge has another shot at Pacific. CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge led wire-to-wire Thursday in a 72-56 victory over UC Irvine in the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. Much of the Anaheim Convention Center has been renovated in recent years with state-of-the-art facilities. , setting up a semifinal matchup today against the Tigers. No. 18 Pacific (25-2), which has won 21 consecutive games - including all 18 in the Big West - beat CSUN 75-73 on two free throws with five second left in last year's final to advance to the NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament can mean: Men's Sports
``Either road you take it's Pacific or Utah State,'' CSUN senior Ian Boylan said. ``We're up for the challenge. We won't back down from anybody.'' Pacific has won an impressive 33 consecutive Big West games dating back to last season. The Tigers are virtually assured an NCAA Tournament berth even if they don't get the automatic berth that comes with winning the conference tournament. The Tigers, who have eight seniors, don't seem to dominate many teams but they always find ways to win close games. ``It comes down to being who you are,'' coach 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. said. ``It comes down to limiting mistakes and taking advantage of your opportunities.'' CSUN (18-12) lost to Pacific 66-62 at the Northridge Gym and lost 75-61 in Stockton, although CSUN led by one point at halftime of the second game. ``We've played them a lot the last couple of years and they're a good team,'' said Pacific coach Bob Thomason Bob Thomason is the current head men's basketball coach at the University of the Pacific. He has held that position since the beginning of the 1988-89 season. • • , who was scouting CSUN's game. ``If they got off to a better start, they would've been a 20-win team and would've challenged for the conference title.'' CSUN got off to a fast start Thursday with a stifling defense. The Matadors led 16-5 five minutes into the game but Irvine scored eight consecutive points to cut the lead to 16-13. The Matadors never trailed and led by just seven with nine minutes left. CSUN outscored Irvine 19-10 down the stretch. Boylan, last year's tournament MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. , scored 16 points and Joe Frazier
Irvine was visibly frustrated with CSUN's trapping defense in the first half and after Jeff Gloger nearly lost possession trying to get rid of the ball, he and Boylan exchanged words. Aaron Fitzgerald, who scored a career-high 30 points against Idaho the previous night, fouled out after scoring just five points. CSUN swept Irvine in the regular season and won all three games by an average 16.3 points. Frazier, who was suspended for 14 games during the season, had 13 points by halftime. He made a 3-pointer from the right wing with 49 seconds left to give CSUN a 35-30 halftime lead. The Matadors had the ball again just before the half but Davin White missed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with one second left. White had just two points by halftime and finished with 10. White has been a key player in all of the Pacific games The Pacific Games (formerly known as the South Pacific Games) is a multi-sport event, much like the Olympics, (albeit on a much smaller scale), with participation exclusively from countries around the South Pacific. . In a tight game at the Northridge Gym, White missed two 3-pointers in the final 14 seconds. CSUN was a much-improved team at the free-throw line free-throw line n. See foul line. as it made 23 of 29 shots and didn't even practice free throws in its shootaround. The Matadors likely will need a similar performance if they're to pull off an upset today. Jill Painter, (818) 713-3615 jill.painter(at)dailynews.com |
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