BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) Freshman Darius McNeill made his first seven field-goal attempts, including five 3-pointers, and finished with 22 points as Cal broke a three-game losing streak with an 83-63 victory over Cal State Northridge on Tuesday night.
McNeill, whose previous scoring best was 18, had 16 points in the opening nine minutes and 19 by halftime, sparking Cal to a 48-30 lead. He finished 8 for 11 from the field and was 6 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Don Coleman, who entered the game as the nation’s 10th-leading scorer at 24.0 points per game, had 15 points for the Bears. Kentucky transfer Marcus Lee added 14 points and four blocked shots.
Cal (3-4) was coming off a winless performance at the Maui Invitational, including a loss to Division II Chaminade in the seventh-place game.
Freshman Terrell Gomez scored a season-high 20 points to lead the Matadors (1-5), who remain without a victory over a Division I team. Tavrion Dawson added 17 points.
CSUN shot 37 percent and trailed by as many as 28 points.
BIG PICTURE
Cal State Northridge: The Matadors played their fifth of seven straight games away from home, having also visited Fairfax, Virginia, and Cancun, Mexico. By the time they return from a trek to play at Montana and Idaho State, they will have traveled about 14,800 miles since their Dec. 10 season opener at home.
Cal: By improving to 7-0 all-time vs. Northridge, the Bears avoided their first four-game, non-conference losing streak since 1997-98 and their first 2-5 start to a season since 1978-79, when they won their first two games, then lost nine in a row.
NEXT
Cal State Northridge plays Sunday at Montana.
Cal plays Saturday at home against Saint Mary’s.
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