CSUN Stops Bakersfield Cold and Rallies to Win

BAKERSFIELD — Pat Bolden sank a free throw with 34 seconds left Friday night to cap a torrid rally and lift Cal State Northridge to a 62-61 victory over Cal State Bakersfield in a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game at the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium.

CSUN held Bakersfield scoreless in the final 3:10, overcoming a 61-55 deficit with a 7-0 spurt. Bolden finished with 20 points, hitting 7 of 10 field goal attempts and 6 of 7 free throws. He also had nine rebounds.

Bakersfield’s Mario Williams missed a free throw with 18 seconds left, but Bakersfield got the ball back, and in the final 15 seconds Leonard Brown and Tony Brooks each had a chance to win the game with jumpers. But both shots missed, the last one bouncing off the rim at the buzzer.

The last time the teams met--a 64-53 Bakersfield victory Jan. 31 at CSUN--the game was marred by two bench-clearing brawls. There were no rematches in Friday night’s contest, which suited CSUN Coach Pete Cassidy just fine.

“I’m not Don King. I’m not a promoter of fights,” Cassidy said. “I came here to play basketball.”

The Matadors, who trailed, 34-24, at halftime and fell behind by 12 points early in the second half, are now 11-13 overall and 4-8 in the conference.

“Every time you lose you’re supposed to learn from it,” Cassidy said. “Well, we’ve learned a helluva lot this year.”

Reserve Jimmy Daniels added 17 points for CSUN and Paul Drecksel had 12.

Bakersfield, 17-8 overall and 8-4 in the CCAA, was led by Brown’s 16 points while Paul Phifer added 10.

CSUN travels to San Luis Obispo tonight for a game against the CCAA-leading Mustangs.