Bench Steps Up In Zags’ Win

It still has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, but new evidence has emerged to suggest that Gonzaga University’s lopsided loss at Southern Utah last Saturday was, indeed, an aberration.

That evidence remains circumstantial, however, because none of the 1,201 eye witnesses at Martin Centre Tuesday night would dare identify St. Martin’s College as a legitimate threat to any decent Division-I basketball program.

Still, GU coach Dan Fitzgerald saw his team do enough good things in a 101-72 romp past the Division-II Saints (0-2) to ease some of the concerns that have festered in the three days since his Bulldogs were humbled by Southern Utah 71-47.

“It was a good effort,” Fitzgerald said after his team evened its record at 1-1 by winning its home opener. “It wasn’t colossal and it wasn’t perfect, but you play games like these to improve your team and try to find things out.

With senior center Paul Rogers noticeably hobbled by a stress fracture in his lower right leg, Fitzgerald looked to some of his younger players for answers. And several raised their hands - along with their games.

Reserve freshman forward Axel Dench, a 6-foot-11, 240-pound Australian and countryman of the 7-foot Rogers, contributed 16 points and eight rebounds - both team highs - in 29 minutes.

And redshirt freshman point guard Matt Santangelo, after being shut out by Southern Utah, added 15 points and four assists.

Fitzgerald also liked the play of true freshman Richie Frahm, a 6-5 guard from Vancouver, who scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and made two assists and two steals in a little more than 17 minutes.

“I saw some passion tonight that we didn’t see at all on Saturday,” Fitzgerald said. “I can’t coach if they don’t play hard, but they played hard enough tonight that we can teach and coach them.”

Rogers played 21 minutes and finished with nine points and five rebounds.

“I’m really proud of Paul Rogers,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s just trying to play and that’s all. That was a pretty admirable effort. I know how much it hurts him.”

“Personally, I’m disappointed,” said Rogers, the top returning rebounder in the West Coast Conference, “but we got to play a lot of guys tonight and that’s what games like this are about.”

St. Martin’s, which got 21 points from Bill Sheed and 14 from 6-8 forward Tokala Beall - on some outrageously deep 3-pointers in the final 14 minutes, stayed close until Santangelo hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to ignite an 11-2 Bulldog run with just over five minutes left in the first half.

That surge opened up a 33-24 lead that GU stretched to 44-30 by intermission. Santangelo scored 13 of his points in the opening 20 minutes. Lorenzo Rollins added 13 points for GU.

Gonzaga 101, St. Martin’s 72

ST. MARTIN’S (0-2) - Sheed 8-12 5-6 21, Taylor 0-8 0-0 0, Marcy 2-4 0-0 4, Pepper 2-5 1-2 7, Thomas 5-9 1-2 13, Bright 2-2 0-0 4, Beall 5-9 0-0 14, Henderson 0-0 0-0 0, Phillips 3-6 2-2 9, Schreck 0-1 0-0 0, Kruse 0-1 0-0 0, Flynn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-57 9-12 72.

GONZAGA (1-1) - Santangelo 5-10 3-3 15, Rollins 6-13 0-0 13, Rogers 1-2 7-8 9, Leasure 3-4 1-2 8, Hendrix 3-3 0-0 6, Frahm 2-4 2-2 6, Dench 6-9 4-4 16, Williams 2-5 0-2 5, Crider 0-0 1-2 1, Nemeth 2-2 0-0 6, Nilson 1-2 1-1 3, Eaton 2-4 3-4 7, Ball 0-1 1-2 1, Griffin 0-0 0-0 0, McKnight 1-1 1-2 3, Floyd 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 35-63 24-32 101.

Halftime-Gonzaga 44, St. Martin’s 30. 3-Point goals-St. Martin’s 9-17 (Taylor 0-2, Pepper 2-3, Thomas 2-2, Beall 4-7, Phillips 1-3), Gonzaga 7-22 (Santangelo 2-6, Rollins 1-5, Leasure 1-1, Frahm 0-1, Williams 1-4, Nemeth 2-2, Nilson 0-1, Floyd 0-2). Fouled out-St. Martin’s, Marcy. Rebounds- St. Martin’s 23 (Pepper 5), Gonzaga 40 (Dench 8). Assists-St. Martin’s 20 (Beall 7), Gonzaga 20 (Santangelo, Rollins 4). Total fouls-St. Martin’s 22, Gonzaga 15. A-1,201.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: COMING UP Gonzaga plays Washington State on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Arena.