Touch and Go, but CSUN Wins

SAN LUIS OBISPO â€”  Shawn Stone will never impress with his shooting touch, but when he’s playing well he can be as valuable as anyone to the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team.

Friday night, in the first ever American West Conference game, he was playing well.

Stone, a senior guard, had 10 points and 11 rebounds to spark Northridge past Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 76-69, before a crowd of 1,124 at Mott Gym.

It was his kind of game.

Hard fought, and not pretty.

For all their efforts, Stone and his Northridge teammates seemed intent on letting a victory slip through their grasp.

The Matadors (4-10) committed five turnovers--including two by Stone--in the final two minutes.

Northridge led, 58-48, with nine minutes to play, saw its margin cut to a basket over the next 4 1/2 minutes, then pulled away, let Cal Poly come back, then pulled away again.

Twice Cal Poly trimmed Northridge’s advantage to a basket, the final time with 44 seconds to play on Bucky Tucker’s three-point basket that made the score 71-69.

The Matadors responded by scoring five points in the final 36 seconds on free throws by Ryan Martin, Peter Micelli and Stone, plus a breakaway dunk by Mike Dorsey.

“We fought them off, and I was pleased by that,� Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said.

Cassidy was impressed, too, by Cal Poly, describing the Mustangs as perhaps “the best one-and-whatever-they-are team in the country,� during his post-game remarks.

For the record, Cal Poly is 1-15, its only victory coming in comeback fashion, by five points, against Division III Menlo College.

The Mustangs hung with Northridge thanks to a career night by Brian Stewart, a reserve guard.

Stewart, who came in having made only one of six three-point shots this season, made his first five shots from long range en route to 17 points.

It wasn’t until Cassidy opted to scrap Northridge’s zone in favor of a man-to-man defense that Stewart finally cooled off.

And Stone was the defender who iced him.

“I take it personal when someone scores on me,� Stone said.

Stewart didn’t, missing his last three shots during crunch time.

Stone wasn’t the only Northridge senior to come up big at an opportune time.

Micelli, relegated to a reserve role for the second game in a row, had 15 points and eight rebounds.

Micelli hadn’t scored in double figures in his previous four games.

“That was timely,� Cassidy said of Micelli’s effort. “I’m very pleased about that, both for the team and for Pete.�

Dorsey scored 16 points for Northridge. Martin and Eric Gray each added 10 points.

Playing in place of Ruben Oronoz, who did not make the trip because of an injured left ankle, Gray kept his record perfect.

He has started three games and Northridge has won them all.

Tucker, a senior from Antelope Valley, scored 14 points for Cal Poly.

Damien Levesque added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Brandon Wilkerson had 11 points for the Mustangs.

Northridge plays its next two games against Pacific 10 Conference teams--Cal on Sunday at Northridge, and Washington State on Wednesday night in Pullman, Wash.