Making the most of tough spot

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The rebounds became tougher to grab, the points a tad harder to come by and the blocked shots dropped significantly. All were probably expected in the aftermath of Gonzaga University forward Josh Heytvelt’s suspension late in the regular season.

But to the surprise of some, the Heytvelt-less Bulldogs defense allowed fewer points, the number of turnovers dropped considerably and assists increased.

All things considered, Gonzaga has adapted quite well without their second-leading scorer and top rebounder, who was suspended indefinitely with six games remaining in the regular season. The Bulldogs are riding a five-game winning streak, which led to West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles. Gonzaga lost twice during that span, an 83-74 loss to Santa Clara that snapped a 50-game home winning streak and a 78-77 overtime loss to Memphis, which eventually earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

“It shows the type of character and heart that the players in our program have,” head coach Mark Few said. “It reinforced to me that the program is bigger than anything. No one player or person is bigger than that. The thing that makes me most proud is how everybody responded, from players to staff to the administration and even the fans.”

Gonzaga often has gone to a shorter, guard-heavy lineup in its last eight games, using four guards or, as 6-foot-8 forward Micah Downs put it, “I’m a taller guard, but I can also play the ‘4’ as well. We’ve had a lot of different types of lineups since I’ve been playing more minutes. When ‘Pendo’ (David Pendergraft) is in, it’s really, honestly, kind of a five-guard lineup when you think about it because everybody in that lineup can handle the ball.”

Statistically, a couple of trends have emerged. While most categories reflect modest changes up or down, Gonzaga’s rebounding margin has slipped from plus 5.1 to plus 2.4. Opponents are shooting a higher percentage from the floor and from behind the 3-point – understandable without Heytvelt’s shot-blocking presence inside. He accounted for 43 of the team’s 93 blocked shots through 25 games. The 3-point success of opponents – which jumped from 32.4 percent to 38.9 percent – is perhaps a function of guards having to help more inside, opening up better perimeter opportunities.

Still, Gonzaga is giving up fewer points per game, likely a by-product of a more aggressive defense that has forced an average of 15.1 turnovers compared to 13.1 with Heytvelt.

“We’re turning them over,” Pendergraft said. “They might get some easier shots inside, but we’re getting out in the passing lanes a little more and pressuring teams more.”

Asked if Gonzaga felt Heytvelt’s absence more on the offensive or defensive end, Pendergraft said: “It was more of a shock factor when it happened. We’ve just tried to mesh together offensively and defensively. What Josh did with offensive rebounds and his scoring ability, he’s a real force.”

Downs, Pendergraft and Abdullahi Kuso have seen significant bumps in their playing time. Downs went from 12.9 minutes to 22.3 minutes. His scoring average climbed from 4.3 points to 12.5 points. Kuso’s impact has come mainly on the boards. With roughly eight more minutes of playing time per game, his rebounds have jumped from 3.9 to 7. Pendergraft, whose minutes are up from 21.6 to 28.1, has essentially doubled his scoring average (5.8 to 11.4).

Guards Derek Raivio, Jeremy Pargo and Matt Bouldin also are logging more minutes.

Good omen?

Gonzaga hasn’t had the smoothest trip thus far. On Tuesday, the Bulldogs arrived about four hours late in Sacramento when the team’s charter plane suffered a mechanical problem that required repair at the Las Vegas airport. Several members of the coaching staff and travel party brought their young children, but their rooms at the team hotel didn’t have cribs as planned. Those arrived a couple of hours later.

The Bulldogs were about 30 minutes late to their scheduled NCAA press conference time Wednesday night because the bus was stuck in traffic.

“It’s been interesting,” Pendergraft said.

Athletic director Mike Roth recalled several trips from Gonzaga’s early NCAA runs where the itineraries didn’t come off as scripted.

“In 1999 every hotel we stayed at was under construction,” Roth said. “I remember in 2001 (senior associate A.D.) Chris Standiford was setting up the hotel and the person at the very end said, ‘I have a little bad news. We have some construction going on.’ And Chris just said, ‘Great.’ “

Watching and waiting

For sophomore wing Larry Gurganious, sidelined all season by a stress reaction in a lower vertebrae, watching his teammates practice at Arco Arena on Wednesday night had to be one of the toughest things he’s encountered in a difficult year.

Gurganious is a product of St. Mary’s High School in nearby Berkeley and he had about 10 friends and family members in the Arco stands.

“It’s been hard all season, not just now,” he said.

Gurganious said the latest medical tests showed his back is “about 75 percent.”

He wears a bone growth stimulator daily for about four hours, which makes jogging awkward.

“The timeline is to start working about the time this tournament is over, do all the summer stuff and I plan on being back at the beginning of next season,” he said. “I can’t wait to be part of it again.”