Gu Victory Assures Winning Season

There was no shortage of reasons for Gonzaga University coach Dan Fitzgerald to be proud of his Bulldogs following Saturday night’s crucial 76-59 West Coast Conference road win over Portland.

Heroes - like Lorenzo Rollins, who shot his way out of a recent funk with a game-high 24 points, and Bakari Hendrix, who added 20 points while muscling down seven rebounds - abounded.

In addition, the Bulldogs (14-8 overall, 7-3 in the WCC) picked up their third consecutive victory and moved into sole possession of first place in the WCC standings.

But what pleased Fitzgerald the most, it seems, was the fact that the victory assured GU of another winning season and its 12th in his 15 years at the helm.

“I’m not a big goal guy,” Fitzgerald said after the win, which was witnessed by a Chiles Center crowd of 3,809, “but that’s always been something in the back of my mind - that if you can do that, it’s quite an accomplishment.”

Fitzgerald will resign at the end of the season with just one losing season (8-20 in 1990) and two .500 seasons (14-14 in 1989 and 1991) on his record.

“These kids have done just a remarkable job,” Fitzgerald added, “but what is the most gratifying to me is to see how we’re winning our way.”

Fitzgerald was also impressed with the way Rollins battled through his shooting slump and emerged with a 10-for-13 effort against the Pilots (9-13, 4-6) that did not include a 3-point attempt.

“Lorenzo was just spectacular,” said Fitzgerald, who had refused to bench the senior during his struggles. “And that’s why you don’t pull on some guys’ chains. He’s been a team guy through it all.”

Gonzaga 76, Portland 59

Gonzaga (14-8, 7-3) - Dench 4-6 0-0 8, Eaton 3-4 0-0 6, Frahm 1-2 0-0 3, Griffin 0-0 1-2 1, Hendrix 8-11 4-4 20, Leasure 2-5 0-0 4, Nemeth 0-0 0-0 0, Rollins 10-13 4-6 24, Santangelo 2-4 4-6 10, Williams 0-1 0-0 0. Team totals - 30-46 13-18 76.

Portland (9-13, 4-6) - Anderson 2-11 4-4 8, Franklin 3-9 0-0 7, Holton 2-9 1-2 5, Jackson 3-6 8-11 14, Klosterman 4-10 5-6 13, Palumbis 0-2 0-0 0, Rainwater 5-12 1-3 12, Stonehouse 0-1 0-0 0. Team totals - 19-60 16-19 59.

Halftime - Gonzaga 38, Portland 24. 3-point goals - Gonzaga 3-6 (Frahm 1-2, Leasure 0-1, Santangelo 2-3), Portland 2-16 (Anderson 0-4, Franklin 1-6, Palumbis 0-1, Rainwater 1-5). Total fouls - Gonzaga 21, Portland 17. Fouled out - Frahm. Technical fouls - Hendrix. Rebounds - Gonzaga 31 (Hendrix 8), Portland 37 (Jackson, Klosterman 10). Assists - Gonzaga 18 (Eaton, Santangelo 4), Portland 6 (Holton 3). Attn. - 3,809.