Feb. 19, 2005
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Five Cal State Northridge players scored in double figures, including reserve Joseph Frazier's game-high 18 points, as the Matadors edged Fairfield University by a 68-65 count at the Arena at Harbor Yard. The Stags had four players reach double digits in the scoring column, paced by DeWitt Maxwell's 13 markers.
The visitors jumped to an early 8-0 lead, thanks to back-to-back three-point baskets by Davin White. The Matadors' defense kept Fairfield out of sorts, forcing three turnovers on the team's first three posessions anad allowing just three shots in the opening four minutes. The Stags broke through with 14:48 remaining in the first half, a lay up by Terrence Todd to make the score 8-2.
Fairfield started to make a modest run after that basket, pulling to within one point at 13-12 after Kudjo Sogadzi stole the ball and raced the length of the court for a lay up with 12:26 on the clock. After trading baskets, the home team secured its first lead of the game when Deng Gai used a dunk to push Fairfield in front at 16-15 with 8:38 remaining.
The Stags still had a slight advantage at 22-20 with six minute left, but finished the half with a 14-6 run that gave them a double-digit halftime lead at 36-26. Fairfield doubled up its opposition after falling behind 8-0, outscoring the Matadors by a 36-18 margin over the final 14 minutes of the first half.
Some initial pressure to start the second half provided Cal State Northridge with a dunk and a layup to cut the deficit to 36-30. Gai regained Fairfield's halftime advantage with a put back lay up and a dunk on successfive possessions for a 40-30 lead.
The Red and White still held that same margin at 48-38 with 13:29 remaining in the second half, but the Matadors used a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to pull within a point at 48-47. A three-point play by Maxwell gave Fairfield a little breathing room at 51-47, but a 7-2 spurt by Cal State Northridge put the team in front 54-53 with 8:55 on the clock. It was the Matadors first lead since the eight-minute mark of the first half.
Cal State Northridge's lead reached as many as six points late in the second half, 64-58 with 3:19 left, before Fairfield scored the next seven points to recapture the lead. Sogadzi provided the tying and then the go ahead point on a pair of free throws to cap the 7-0 run and put Fairfield back in front.
However, the Matadors came right down the court and secured the lead for good on Ian Boylan's 12-foot jumper for a 66-65 lead with 25 seconds left. After Fairfield was called for an offensive foul, Frazier hit a pair of free throws to give the visitors a three-point lead at 68-65 with seven seconds left. The Stags pushed the ball to midcourt and called a timeout with four ticks left.
Michael Bell ended up with the ball off the inbound and was quickly swarmed over by the Cal State Northridge defense. His desparation three-point shot from the top of the key skimmed off the front rim as time expired.
