double-digits led by reserved guard Marco McCain’s 18 as the Matadors

cruised to a 76-57 victory over California State University, Sacramento Thursday night at Memorial Auditorium.

The win improved CSN to 13-5 overall and 5-2 in the Big Sky Conference. Sacramento State dropped to 8-8 overall and 2-3 in conference games.

Northridge built a 10-point lead with 11:36 left in the first half and never looked back. The Matadors relied on the inside play of cetner Brian Heinle (14 points, eight rebounds) and a deadly outside attack (.480 team three-point percentage) to wear down the Hornets.

For the game, CSN shot .475 from the floor while Sacramento State

produced a .440 mark. The Matadors, however, outrebounded the Hornets,

40-22, allowing for numerous second-chance opportunities.

Junior guard Pablo Gonzales led Sacramento State with 20 points and senior Anthony Flood added 19 in the loss. Sophomore Arinze Anoruo also continued to play well with 10 points and five assists.

Both teams used an aggressive half-court trapping defense which forced 44 turnovers (CSN 22, SAC 22) in the game.

Joining McCain and Heinle in double-figures for CSN was Jeff Parris (15 points) and Carl Holmes (11).

Sacramento State will next travel to Pocatello, Idaho to face Idaho State on Saturday. The game will begin at 6:35 PST and will be

broadcasted on KTKZ 1380 AM.