Slipper Fits Gonzaga Rillie Drills 34 As Bulldogs Earn First Trip To Ncaa

Purposely, members of the Gonzaga men’s basketball staff never mentioned the achievements of last year’s team to the 1995 squad.

After all, the predecessors had been the most successful in school history, and the newest edition - inexperienced and untested - could not be held up to those standards.

Monday, though, the current Bulldogs placed their stamp on school history, earning the first NCAA Tournament berth in 37 years of Division I membership with an 80-67 win over Portland in the West Coast Conference Tournament title game.

And again, it was the long-distance firing of GU guard John Rillie - the tournament’s MVP and all-time leading scorer - who led the way with 34 points.

The Bulldogs will have to wait until Sunday to learn of their first-round opponent and game site. In the past three years, the WCC titlist has been shipped out of the West Region twice.

“I’m sure (North Carolina coach) Dean Smith is worried tonight,” joked GU coach Dan Fitzgerald after the hugging, high-fiving and net-cutting had ceased. “Really, I don’t care where we go. I just want the kids to not feel satisfied. We’re going to go play as hard and as tough as we played tonight.’

Rillie, with games of 32 and 30 points preceding Monday’s effort, scored 96 in three games - smashing the record of 82 set by the late Hank Gathers.

Even more remarkably, Rillie tossed in 20 of 28 3-point attempts (71.5 percent) in his three-day reign of tournament terror.

“I had no idea (of the records). The main thing I was worried about was the scoreboard at the end of the game,” the senior guard from Toowoomba, Australia, said, wearing a well-deserved garland of net around his neck. “The first two days really fueled this third game for me.”

What did Fitzgerald think of Rillie’s tournament? “I thought he was pretty average,” he joked, suggesting that Rillie’s stunning shooting might lead to a trend of hoop junkies shaving their heads to match Rillie’s bald noggin.

It appeared for a while, in this game played before a national cable audience via ESPN, that even Rillie would not be enough to counteract GU’s shaky ballhandling and casual rebounding.

The Bulldogs had committed nine first-half turnovers and had been outrebounded by six.

But once again they were rejuvenated after intermission, holding scrappy Portland to 27 second-half points and outscoring the Pilots 27-14 after the teams were tied at 53 with 9 minutes left.

It made this the third consecutive come-from-behind tournament victory for GU (21-8).

Perhaps that is fitting, because this has been pretty much of a come-from-behind season after an 11-0 start turned into an 0-6 conference start.

“Some of the guys may have been surprised (by the win),” Rillie said. “But I know that is what I came down here for. The goal was to get to the NCAA Tournament, and we did. Coming in as the No. 4 seed might have helped because once you get past that first game, you’re the underdog the rest of the way and there’s no pressure on you.”

Portland (21-8) must wait and hope for an NIT bid.

“I just think all the credit should go to Gonzaga,” said Pilots coach Rob Chavez. “They did a tremendous job tonight. John Rillie is an outstanding player. He entered his senior season intent on winning his team a championship. My hat is off to a player who shoots the ball when everyone knows he is going to shoot it and puts pressure on him.”

GU also got 12 points from Jon Kinloch and 10 points and 10 rebounds out of Paul Rogers, but Rillie truly carried the team.

“You’re a senior only one time,” Fitzgerald said. “He is a kid who has made tremendous sacrifices to play this game. I have seen him shoot the ball like this before, but I’ve never seen him emotionally on fire the way he was tonight.

“John Rillie simply did one thing for us, he didn’t let us lose.”

Gonzaga 80, Portland 67

GONZAGA (21-8)

Dixon 2-6 5-5 9, Rillie 8-12 12-12 34, Rogers 4-7 2-4 10, Kinloch 1-6 9-12 12, Rubright 2-4 3-4 8, Morgan 0-0 0-0 0, Cole 1-3 0-0 2, Bond 0-0 0-0 0, Snider 1-1 3-6 5, Williams 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-40 34-43 80.

PORTLAND (21-8)

Ross 6-14 1-1 13, Holton 2-6 0-0 5, Ranta 4-7 2-3 10, Daniels 5-13 0-0 10, Chatman 8-12 2-3 18, Flicker 1-3 2-2 5, Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Brainard 1-2 0-0 3, Metoyer 1-3 0-0 3, Anderson 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 28-64 7-9 67.

Halftime-Portland 40, Gonzaga 38. 3-Point goals- Gonzaga 8-19 (Rillie 6-9, Rubright 1-1, Kinloch 1-4, Williams 0-1, Dixon 0-2, Cole 0-2), Portland 4-17 (Brainard 1-1, Holton 1-2, Flicker 1-3, Metoyer 1-3, Ross 0-4, Anderson 0-4). Fouled out-Chatman, Flicker. Rebounds-Gonzaga 31 (Rogers 10), Portland 32 (Daniels, Chatman 7). Assists-Gonzaga 14 (Dixon 6), Portland 13 (Daniels, Metoyer 3). Total fouls- Gonzaga 13, Portland 30. Technicals-Snider. A-2,722.