Experimenting Bulldogs Dissect Whitman

There are probably more exciting ways to celebrate the end of Finals Week than beating up on some lamentably outmanned NAIA opponent.

Still, it was hard to find anyone associated with Gonzaga University’s men’s basketball program who was complaining Saturday night after the Bulldogs (10-2) dusted off Whitman College 90-44 in front of a mainly disinterested Martin Centre crowd of 3,110.

“You can’t have 27 or 30 games where mentally and physically you don’t get to experiment at all,” said first-year coach Dan Monson, who slipped the Missionaries (3-4) onto the schedule during a week when he knew basketball would be a back-burner issue. “And games like this, if they’re used properly, give you a chance to experiment.

“I thought we got a lot out of this game.”

The Bulldogs, coming off an exhausting early season schedule that saw them span four time zones and play several big-name opponents, worked out of a man-to-man defense the entire game and never once ran their customary flex offense.

Instead, Monson had his team in its secondary motion offense all night, shuffling in all 11 players he dressed. He rewarded several role players with substantial playing time.

And he got a chance to watch his team function without its leading scorer and rebounder, Bakari Hendrix, who watched from the bench in street clothes after suffering a mild ankle sprain at practice Thursday.

Senior forward Doug Griffin, who replaced Hendrix, took advantage of a rare start to score a career-high 17 points and grab six rebounds. Mike Nilson, a seldom-used sophomore guard, added 16 points and punctuated his career night with three acrobatic break-away dunks.

Matt Santangelo, whose 23 minutes were the most of any starter, said the game let the Bulldogs recover physically from their early season trials without risking the emotional damage that could have resulted from an unexpected loss.

“I think the team took a really mature and professional approach to the game,” he said after scoring just eight points. “We came in, we handled business and we did what we needed to do. A loss could have been disastrous, so I think it was a good game to have at this time of the year.”

Santangelo’s only complaint was about Nilson, his roommate.

“In 20 minutes, he had more highlights than I’ve had in two years,” he joked.

Whitman, showing signs that it had stepped dramatically out of its league, made only one of its first eight shots and spotted GU a 13-5 lead in the first 6 minutes. The Missionaries, led by Dan Rough’s 11 points, later turned the ball over on seven of 11 possessions and let the Bulldogs loose on a 23-9 run that produced a 38-20 halftime lead.

Monson said the Bulldogs, who have a Dec. 30 matchup against Washington in Seattle, will practice two more days before taking a three-day break for Christmas.

Gonzaga 90, Whitman 44

Whitman (3-4) - Keyser 1-12 2-2 5, Wyatt 0-1 0-0 0, Storey 2-3 3-8 7, Rough 5-15 0-0 11, Washington 4-13 2-2 10, Evans 2-5 4-5 9, Hendry 1-3 0-0 2, Baker 0-1 0-0 0, Durkin 0-0 0-0 0, Rukavina 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-53 11-17 44.

Gonzaga (10-2) - Leasure 0-1 0-0 0, Griffin 8-10 1-4 17, Dench 4-6 0-0 8, Santangelo 3-6 0-0 8, Frahm 5-7 0-0 12, Spink 0-2 2-4 2, Hall 1-3 0-0 2, Nilson 6-8 2-2 16, Crider 2-4 0-0 5, Calvary 4-9 1-3 9, Floyd 4-8 3-4 11. Totals 37-64 9-17 90.

Halftime - Gonzaga 52, Whitman 24. 3-point goals - Whitman 3-19 (Evans 1-1, Rough 1-8, Keyser 1-8, Hendry 0-2), Gonzaga 7-20 (Santangelo 2-2, Frahm 2-2, Nilson 2-4, Crider 1-3, Dench 0-1, Leasure 0-1, Hall 0-1, Calvary 0-2, Floyd 0-4). Fouled out - None. Rebounds - Whitman 30 (Storey 8), Gonzaga 45 (Dench, Spink, Calvary 8). Assists - Whitman 5 (Washington 2), Gonzaga 27 (Santangelo, Dench, Hall, Calvary, Floyd 4). Total fouls - Whitman 12, Gonzaga 13. A - 3,110.

, DataTimes