BASKETBALL

Glad to be back: Mike O’Quinn, a Cal State Northridge forward suspended for the Oregon State game, has been reinstated.

The senior transfer from Loyola Marymount said he renewed his commitment to basketball. He was disciplined because of a verbal altercation with Coach Bobby Braswell.

“I snapped and I deserved [the suspension] and I’m glad [Braswell] did it,” O’Quinn said. “Through those days I thought a lot. I talked to my Mom and my pastor. There were things in my life I had to change and now I realize what is No. 1 in my life.”

Braswell continues to believe in O’Quinn, who led the Matadors with 26 points against Arizona State in the opener on Nov. 16.

“I’m very confident that Mike will respond and do the things he needs to do,” Braswell said. “Not making that trip hurt him. I think he reflected on that.”

Slow start: Derrick Higgins, a senior guard who last season led the Matadors with an 11.6-point average, had only 10 points in the two games and is shooting 25%. A back injury has slowed him and early foul trouble kept him on the bench much of the game against Oregon State.

“I think Derrick has to be a leader on this team,” Braswell said. “We’ve got to get production out of him.”

Must-see TV: After practice Monday, the Matadors went to Braswell’s house to watch Pepperdine, their opponent Saturday, play host to Wisconsin in a game televised on Fox Sports West 2.

FOOTBALL

Going bowling: Antelope Valley and Moorpark colleges received berths to Dec. 6 bowl games, but Valley, which lost a Western State Conference season-finale to Moorpark on Saturday night, was denied a fifth-consecutive bowl appearance.

Moorpark (6-4), which finished in a three-way tie for the WSC Southern Division title, will play Santa Barbara in the WSC Bowl at Santa Barbara at 1 p.m. Antelope Valley (7-3) hosts Santa Ana (7-3) in the inaugural McDonald’s Charity Bowl at 5 p.m.

Pairings for 14 junior college bowl games were announced Monday by the Commission on Athletics. An inaugural state championship game, pitting the champions of the Northern and Southern regions, will be played Dec. 13 at Cal State Fullerton.

Butte (8-2) will play at San Francisco (10-0) in the Hawaiian Punch Bowl to decide the Northern title. Mt. San Antonio (10-0) will play at Bakersfield (9-1) in the Shrine Potato Bowl for the Southern title.

Valley (6-4) entered the season ranked sixth in the state after three consecutive 10-1 seasons. However, the Monarchs lost three of their past five games.

“We controlled our own destiny and we didn’t take care of business,” said Gary Barlow, Valley’s coach. “Six-and-four isn’t really a record deserving of a bowl game.”