For Openers, Parris Was Just Fine From the Line

Yes, that was Jeff Parris making all of his 10 free throws on Sunday night in Cal State Northridge’s 90-73 victory over visiting Howard.

Parris, a senior forward, played his usual tenacious inside game, bouncing off bodies while scoring 19 points. Last season, Parris’ punishing style resulted in a team-high 157 free-throw attempts. Yet, he made only 89 (56.7%).

This time, when Parris toed the line, he came through.

“We shoot free throws every day in practice and I make them,� Parris said.

Parris also had a three-point basket in two attempts.

On the negative side, Parris resumed his propensity to teeter in foul trouble. He had four against Howard.

Last season, Parris committed a team-high 113 fouls and fouled out of 13 games.

But that is to be expected.

“Jeff is going to be Jeff,� Coach Bobby Braswell said.

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Food poisoning sidelined guard Carl Holmes for much of last week but he returned in time for Sunday’s game.

Holmes, a senior who averaged 8.4 points last season, was visibly ill while watching practice Thursday and was treated by a doctor. Holmes contracted the illness from eating shellfish, Braswell said.

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Northridge plays UCLA tonight at Pauley Pavilion in a game televised on Fox Sports West 2. The Matadors are 0-4 against the Bruins dating to 1992. UCLA defeated Northridge, 114-97, in their last meeting in 1998.

“We’ll have to play better than we did [against Howard],� Braswell said. “It’s a big one, pretty exciting. We just look at it as a game. It won’t make or break our season.�

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With its 49-22 victory over Northridge on Saturday, Portland State earned an at-large berth in the 16-team NCAA Division I-AA football playoffs after finishing in a four-way tie for second in the Big Sky Conference.

Portland State (8-3), which climbed to No. 2 in the I-AA rankings before losing three of four games, is seeded No. 15 and will play at No. 2-seeded Delaware (10-1) on Saturday.

It is the first I-AA playoff appearance for Portland State, which joined the I-AA Big Sky along with Northridge in 1996.

Montana (10-1), Big Sky champion and ranked No. 1 in I-AA, will host No. 16 Eastern Illinois on Saturday.

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The Cal Lutheran women’s basketball team, defending Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, is 2-0 after playing in the Willamette tournament in Salem, Oregon. The Regals, who were 19-7 last season, defeated Southern Oregon, 59-51, and Lewis & Clark, 69-65.

Senior guard Nicole Sanchez led Cal Lutheran with 17 points against Lewis & Clark. Sanchez entered the season ranked 10th on the school career scoring list with 865 points in three seasons.

Cal Lutheran is idle until its home opener Nov. 28 against Chapman. The Regals have won nine in a row at home and 19 consecutive conference home games.