Zags give ‘em 3rd degree
OKLAHOMA CITY – Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Mark Few stopped short of saying Tuesday night’s 78-75 upset of No. 3-ranked Oklahoma State was as good as it gets.
But he did admit it was as good as it’s been so far.
“That’s as impressive a regular-season effort as we’ve ever had,” Few said after watching his 12th-ranked Bulldogs (10-1) roll up a 15-point second-half lead on the previously unbeaten Cowboys (9-1) and then survive a late challenge to knock off a No. 3-ranked team for the second time this season.
“And in lieu of where we were and who we played, it was probably as good as anything we’ve ever done.”
Not only were the Zags facing the defending Big 12 Conference champs and a national title contender in the second game of the Touchstone Energy All-College Classic doubleheader, but they were doing it in front of a hostile Ford Center crowd of 18,202 and with scoring leader Ronny Turiaf playing through the pain of yet another ankle sprain, as well.
None of that seemed to matter, however, as the Bulldogs came out with the same type of aggression they showed in knocking of then No. 3-ranked Georgia Tech 85-73 in the Las Vegas Showdown earlier this month.
With Turiaf limited to 10 points in 18 painful minutes, GU found a number of younger players willing to step forward and shoulder some additional responsibility. And none shouldered more than junior center J.P. Batista, who scored a career-high 18 points while playing a career-high 30 minutes.
The 6-foot-8, 269-pound first-year transfer from Barton County (Kan.) Community College, made the first eight shots he tried, finished 8 for 9 from the field, grabbed a couple of rebounds and outmuscled everyone OSU ran at him on the low post on both ends of the court.
The Zags also got 19 points from Adam Morrison and 11 each from Sean Mallon and Erroll Knight – along with another terrific game from sophomore point guard Derek Raivio, who finished with 10 assists and only one turnover against some of the most suffocating half-court defensive pressure on the planet.
According to Few, it was a “pick-your-hero” effort. But afterward, most of the Bulldogs wanted to talk about Batista and his breakout game.
“J.P., man, he’s the strongest guy ever,” said Knight. “I think some guys really underestimate how strong he is, especially playing a secondary role to Ronny.”
Batista said he benefited immensely from a one-on-one pregame exchange he had with Turiaf, whose status remained questionable until game time because of the ankle sprain he suffered during a Christmas Day practice.
“He told me before the game that he was going to try to do his best,” Batista said of Turiaf, who had his injured ankle stepped on during one of several wild scrums and had to be helped off the floor midway through the first half. “Then at halftime, he said, ‘J.P., go finish the job for me.’
“I told him, ‘I’ve been preparing for this moment all season long and I won’t let you down.’ I wanted to make sure we got this win for him.”
Turiaf, after having his ankle re-taped, returned in the second half and gave the Zags another obvious emotional lift before encountering late-game foul trouble.
Still, Few was impressed with the courage of his senior leader.
“That was just an incredible, unselfish, selfless deal by him tonight,” Few said of Turiaf, who came in averaging 20 points a game. “He wasn’t healthy, but he didn’t want to let his team down, so he went out and played with a tremendous amount of pain.”
Few added that he had checked with trainer Jennifer Nyland on Turiaf’s injury and was told there was no structural damage to the ankle.
“We double- and triple-checked it and were told that playing on the ankle was not going to cause any additional damage,” Few explained. “Otherwise, we never would have used him.”
Even with Turiaf’s limitations, the Bulldogs were able to knock down nine of their first 10 shot attempts and race to an early lead against an OSU team that has four senior starters back from last year’s NCAA Final Four team. The Zags went up 57-41 on a short turnaround jumper by Turiaf early in the second half and then withstood a determined Cowboys charge that tied the game at 73 with 3:26 left.
Leading 77-75, it looked like GU was going to put away the game when Morrison and Raivio, the Bulldogs’ top two free-throw shooters, were fouled on back-to-back possessions in the final minute.
But the two sophomores went a combined 1 for 4 from the line, which gave the Cowboys a chance to tie in the final seconds – only to have John Lucas’ desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer fall well short.
Gonzaga 78, Okla. St. 75
Gonzaga (10-1)–Morrison 8-13 2-3 19, Mallon 4-8 1-2 11, Turiaf 4-8 2-3 10, Raivio 2-8 2-4 6, Knight 4-7 3-4 11, Altidor-Cespedes 0-0 0-0 0, Batista 8-9 2-2 18, Pendergraft 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 31-54 12-18 78.
Oklahoma State (9-1)–J.Graham 1-6 6-10 8, McFarlin 3-6 1-2 7, Crawford 2-5 2-3 6, Lucas 8-17 0-0 19, Bobik 3-11 0-0 8, S.Graham 7-14 4-5 22, Curry 2-5 1-1 5, Monds 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-65 14-21 75.
Halftime—Gonzaga 48, Oklahoma State 39. 3-Point goals—Gonzaga 4-9 (Mallon 2-2, Pendergraft 1-1, Morrison 1-4, Raivio 0-1, Knight 0-1), Oklahoma State 9-31 (S.Graham 4-6, Lucas 3-12, Bobik 2-9, J.Graham 0-1, Crawford 0-1, Curry 0-2). Fouled out—None. Rebounds—Gonzaga 31 (Turiaf 7), Oklahoma State 40 (J.Graham 9). Assists—Gonzaga 24 (Raivio 11), Oklahoma State 16 (J.Graham, Lucas, Bobik 4). Total fouls—Gonzaga 19, Oklahoma State 17. A—18,202.