SOUTHLAND ROUNDUP

Cal State Northridge 72, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 62--The Matadors used a strong defensive effort and a big second half to pull away for a Big West Conference victory before 1,250 at Northridge.

A ball-hawking press set the tempo in the second half, when Northridge extended a two-point halftime lead to as many as 14. The Matadors (4-10, 3-2) rebounded from a poor-shooting first half to make 66.7% (18 for 27) of their shots from the field in the second half.

Northridge forced 20 turnovers for the second consecutive game as Cal Poly (9-5, 3-3) struggled to get into its offense after enjoying an early lead.

Curtis Slaughter and point guard Markus Carr each scored 15 for Northridge, which held Cal Poly without a basket for nearly five minutes during a pivotal stretch in the second half.

Carr’s steal and layup capped a 6-0 run that gave the Matadors a 57-47 lead with 6:56 to play, and they led by at least eight the rest of the way.

Carr also contributed team-high totals of 10 assists, seven rebounds and three steals, a performance that went a long way toward erasing the memory of his three-for-18 shooting in a 57-54 Big West loss to UC Santa Barbara on Thursday.