Cal State Northridge in Midst of 10-Day Basketball Break

Any momentum the Cal State Northridge men's basketball team may have been gaining will have to survive a lengthy layoff. The Matadors are in the midst of a 10-day span without games after posting a lopsided victory over Cal Lutheran.

Tuesday's 75-52 win against the Kingsmen was preceded by the Matadors' closest loss of the year, a 66-63 defeat three days earlier at Denver.

The recent results are step in the right direction for a team that is 3-6 and has not won back-to-back games this season.

On a team featuring extremes in experience–there are six seniors and eight freshmen—senior forward Lenny Daniel has been one of the brightest reasons for encouragement. Daniel posted his third double-double of the season against Cal Lutheran, scoring a career-high-tying 31 points with 13 rebounds.

Daniel, who was the Big West Conference's third-leading rebounder last season, leads the team in scoring (16.1 points) and rebounding (9.3).

Senior Rashaun McLemore is the next leading scorer, averaging 13.8 points.

Senior forward Michael Lizarraga, one of only two players with more than one year of experience at CSUN, is a steady defensive contributor, notching 11 steals and seven blocks in addition to ranking second on the team with an average of 4.8 rebounds per game.

The Matadors return to action next Saturday at Cal State Bakersfield.

Rough start: The women's basketball team continues to search for the right mix, as six different starting lineups in 10 games have produced an 0-10 start, with half of the losses by at least 15 points.

The Matadors are coming off a 73-55 loss to Washington on Wednesday, their final home game before next month's conference contest against Long Beach State. They committed 26 turnovers in the loss.

The team has plenty of time to regroup as it is off until next Saturday at South Dakota.

Sophomore forward Violet Alma is the only player to start every game this season. She is averaging a team-high 13 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Junior center Jasmine Erving (11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds) and sophomore guard Janelle Nomura (10.2 points) have also been consistent contributors.

Record setter: Senior Sherrina Lofton set the school record for the indoor heptathlon when she scored 3,844 points at last weekend's Jackson's Open in Napma, Idaho, where she finished second. Lofton broke LaShana Verdon's mark of 3,828 points set in 2007.

Lofton's record-setting performance included first-place finishes in the 60-meter hurdles and the 800m.

Softball signings: New softball coach Tairia Flowers has signed her first recruiting class, adding five players for the 2012 season.

The Matadors, who were Big West co-champions last season, received commitments from junior college players Alexa Limon and Tiffini Lucero in addition to high school standouts Sydney House of Crescenta Valley, Abby Linn of Saugus and Crystal Mass of Carson.

Good sports: The men's cross country team was selected as the Big West Conference Team Sportsmanship Award winner for the fall season.

The team, which finished eighth in the conference, is the sixth CSUN team to earn the award in 2010.