Bulldogs have bite
Never underestimate the importance of a trial run.
Although it might sound like a meaningless phrase attached to a throw-away effort, it can work wonders for a young basketball team.
That was apparent Wednesday night when Gonzaga University used the tough lessons learned in its ugly “trial run” against Illinois last weekend to dust off 14th-ranked and previously unbeaten Washington 99-87 in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Adam Morrison scored 26 points, matching the career high he put up in the Bulldogs’ 89-72 loss to the Fightin’ Illini in Indianapolis, and Ronny Turiaf added 23 points and 13 rebounds as the Zags (4-1) beat the Huskies (4-1) for the seventh time in a row.
In addition, GU got splendid play from its backcourt tandem of sophomore Derek Raivio and freshman Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes, who made his first collegiate start. Raivio finished with a career-high 21 points, eight assists, four steals and zero turnovers, while Altidor-Cespedes brought some much-needed energy and defensive bravado – especially down the stretch, when he limited UW scoring leader Nate Robinson to just two shots.
The Zags’ effort, which was inspired on both ends of the floor, delighted a sellout crowd of 6,000 and greatly impressed Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar, who said it was obvious the Bulldogs had a made a commitment to ratchet up their competitive level.
“Against Illinois, they kind of got a trial run, so they knew what to expect when they play a good team,” Romar said.
Bulldogs coach Mark Few, who had expressed genuine concern about his team’s willingness to compete at the same level as GU teams of the recent past, agreed with Romar’s reasoning.
“It was a young team that went in there (against Illinois) and didn’t know that the first thing they’ve got to do is step up and play their livin’ tails off if they’re even going to stand a chance against a team like Illinois,” he said. “Maybe they thought we just had to execute or do something-something, but none of that matters if you don’t come out and play.”
The Zags were on from the start in this one, making 12 of their first 20 shots to take a 28-19 lead 12 minutes into the game. The Huskies, who got 22 points from Robinson – despite the fact he went 8 1/2 minutes before scoring his first points, closed to within 39-38 at halftime and took a brief 46-45 shortly after intermission.
But GU, behind the scoring of Morrison and Raivio, who was 5 of 6 from 3-point range, never let UW get away, and eventually put together a 14-5 run that decided the issue with just more than 2 minutes remaining.
Particularly impressive was the play of Raivio, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who had looked lost at the point against the defensive pressure Illinois applied. Against the Huskies, who pressed full court most of the game, he came out composed and confident, and remained that way for 40 minutes.
“You’d be hard-pressed to find a guard with no turnovers against that pressure all game,” Few said. “He was terrific.”
Raivio credited a different mindset for the improvement he made in less than 72 hours.
“I definitely took it as a personal challenge,” he said. “Nate Robinson and their other guards seemed real confident after their win in Alaska. I wanted to show people I could play with anyone – that I’m a good player and that I’ve got heart.”
Morrison said it helped, too, that the coaches challenged players – both individually and as a group – at practice this week.
“Derek and Pierre got chewed out quite a bit,” he explained. “Actually, we all did. And we took it upon ourselves to play harder and smarter as a team. Illinois got us rattled early, so we talked about how Washington is going to make some runs and have some dunks, and how we had to weather those storms – which was something we didn’t do against Illinois.”
Few said the lack of focus and competitive spirit his Bulldogs exhibited against the Illini bothered him and his staff.
“That’s what makes your gut churn for 72 hours,” he said. “If your team doesn’t show that, then it doesn’t matter what you’re doing. But they showed it tonight.”
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Massachusetts (2-0) in the Battle in Seattle at KeyArena. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Few said there is a chance junior shooting guard Erroll Knight might be cleared to play after missing the first five games with a severely sprained thumb.
According to Few, Knight will attempt to practice full-out today, and if the thumb holds up, he will go against the Minutemen.
Gonzaga 99, Washington 87
WASHINGTON (4-1)
Jones 5-8 1-2 12, Jensen 4-10 3-3 13, Simmons 2-8 0-0 6, Robinson 8-13 2-3 22, Conroy 5-8 1-2 14, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Rollins 1-4 0-1 2, Burmeister 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 8-14 2-6 18. Totals 33-65 9-17 87.
GONZAGA (4-1)
Turiaf 7-9 9-10 23, Morrison 9-19 7-8 26, Mallon 5-6 6-7 16, Altidor-Cespedes 2-4 0-0 4, Raivio 6-10 4-4 21, Doudney 0-3 0-0 0, Batista 3-4 1-4 7, Pendergraft 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 33-56 27-33 99.
Halftime—Gonzaga 39-38. 3-Point goals—Washington 12-24 (Robinson 4-8, Conroy 3-3, Jensen 2-4, Simmons 2-7, Jones 1-2), Gonzaga 6-17 (Raiviio 5-6, Morrison 1-4, Turiaf 0-1, Mallon 0-1, Altidor-Cespedes 0-2, Doudney 0-3). Fouled out—Simmons. Rebounds—Washington 29 (Simmons, Williams 6), Gonzaga 36 (Turiaf 13). Assists—Washington 29 (Conroy 9), Gonzaga 20 (Raivio 8). Total fouls—Washington 23, Gonzaga 15. Technical—Gonzaga bench. A—6,000.