Sacre polishes act

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Robert Sacre may be the world’s tallest sit-down comedian.

Gonzaga’s 7-foot center put his act on display while sitting on the interview room dais Friday night.

After battling Florida State’s 7-foot-1, 251-pound Solomon Alabi and 6-11, 240-pound Xavier Gibson for 30 minutes, Sacre relaxed and entertained the media after the Bulldogs’ 67-60 win.

Asked about his obvious enjoyment when the Canadian national anthem was played prior to the game, the Vancouver, British Columbia, native laughed and said: “We don’t play it enough at Gonzaga. So I thought I might as well take it in. We’re close to the border. It was really appreciated. I was enjoying it a lot, actually.”

That led to another question about hockey and his favorite team.

Instead of responding with the politically correct answer – the venue, HSBC Arena, is home to the Buffalo Sabres – Sacre started listing his favorite players before admitting the Vancouver Canucks, “just because that’s a local team,” were his favorite.

Before he could finish, however, coach Mark Few played the role of straight man, asking who Sacre’s favorite curler was.

“Leslie Nielsen in ‘Men with Brooms,’ ” Sacre answered without missing a beat.

Bouldin breaks out

Senior guard Matt Bouldin had his highest-scoring game in five weeks. Bouldin finished with 17 points, 14 coming in the second half.

After making just 1 of 4 shots in the first half, Bouldin set up shop on the low block early in the second half against FSU’s Deividas Dulkys. He maneuvered around Dulkys for a layup, then scored on a midrange bank shot. He scored on another post-up move and was fouled, but missed the free throw.

“That first half I was kind of taking it all in and not trying to force anything,” Bouldin said. “I was trying to distribute the ball and Rob was a beast down low and Elias (Harris) was knocking down shots.”

Six minutes into the second half, he buried a 3-pointer over freshman guard Michael Snaer. In the final 1:21, Bouldin made 5 of 6 free throws.

In line at the line

The free-throw line played a big part in the outcome. FSU, which made 64.6 percent during the season, was just 12 of 20 overall. Trailing 59-55 with 1:37 left, Snaer missed two free throws. He also missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 3:54 remaining and Florida State down 55-50.

Gonzaga, which shot 66.3 percent on the season, hit 22 of 30 free throws (73.3 percent), including 8 of 10 in the final 1:21. Demetri Goodson, a 54.3 percent shooter, made 3 of 4 free throws in the last 1:02.

“It’s a great feeling to finally step up and hit some big free throws,” Goodson said. “That’s what wins close games like that.”

Frequent flier

West Coast Conference commissioner Jamie Zaninovich missed Saint Mary’s win Thursday because he had a commitment in California, but he flew through the night to watch Gonzaga’s win Friday. He leaves this morning to fly to Providence to watch the Gaels take on Villanova in the second round and will return Sunday for Gonzaga’s game against Syracuse.