Things Still Shaky at Northridge : College basketball: Matadors defeat Grand Canyon in first home game in six weeks.

So much for basketball providing an entertainment release for students brave enough to attend Cal State Northridge.

Inside the Northridge gym Tuesday night, 301 fans gathered to watch the Matadors, playing their first home game in six weeks, defeat Grand Canyon, 95-84.

Earlier in the day, crowds approaching that size watched as the school’s three-tiered parking structure--without the aid of aftershocks--continued to crumble.

Reportedly, they were cheering louder for the building to fall than they were later for the Northridge basketball team to rise.

Not even the Matador cheerleaders showed for the game.

Many of those who did were made uneasy by a public-address announcement beforehand.

First, the crowd was told that the gym was safe and “free from any structural problems following the Jan. 17 earthquake.�

Then came the kicker: In the event of an aftershock: “You may wish to hold the hand or embrace the person next to you, but do not panic.�

“I was like, ‘Don’t say that now. We came here to play,’ � Grand Canyon Coach Leighton McCrary said.

Even the quake-tested veterans on the Northridge side reacted to those supposedly reassuring words.

“I thought it was funny,� Matador guard Andre Chevalier said. “If an earthquake hit when I was on the floor, I’d be out of the building. I’d dribble right out the door.�

Fortunately, there was no need for that.

Instead, Chevalier went dribbling around and through the Grand Canyon defense for 25 points. He also made four steals and tied career highs with 11 assists and six rebounds.

“Is he a gem or what?� McCrary said. “He’s the catalyst of that ballclub. He has that air about him that he can’t be stopped and he can stop you.�

Chevalier scored six of the final eight points for Northridge (6-16), which shot a season-high 62.3%. Brooklyn McLinn added 23 points.

Grand Canyon fell to 10-13.