Bulldogs answer Few’s challenges
ANCHORAGE – Gonzaga senior forward Abdullahi Kuso got on the elevator at the team hotel Saturday and received a message from head coach Mark Few about taking shots on his own terms.
Before tip-off Saturday night, Kuso was approached by injured teammate Josh Heytvelt, who told him if he grabbed 10 rebounds the Bulldogs would win.
After a disappointing loss to Texas Tech on Friday, Few issued challenges to numerous players, in particular starting guards Matt Bouldin and Jeremy Pargo, to show they could bounce back from a sub-par performance.
Their response? Pargo established a career high with 13 assists. Bouldin buried 6 of 8 3-pointers and scored 20 points, one shy of his career best. Kuso poured in a career-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Gonzaga bounced back with a decisive 82-64 win over Virginia Tech in front of 8,576 at Sullivan Arena to capture third place in the Great Alaska Shootout.
“It was really nice because you begin to wonder,” Few said. “These guards are the key to this season and they’ve got to understand that for us to be successful, we need to make simple plays and not turn the ball over. And they have to make sure that no matter what happens on offense, it doesn’t affect us on defense. They did that tonight.
“You always wonder how they’re going to respond. You hope and think in the back of your head they’re going to come through because they have before, but it’s always a lot better when they show you.”
One night after committing eight turnovers, Pargo had just two in 39 minutes. He added 10 points, five rebounds and four steals, but it was his passing and decision-making that triggered GU’s offense, which made 54.7 percent from the floor. Several of Pargo’s assists went to Bouldin, who was scoreless until the 3:35 mark when his 3-pointer gave the Zags a 35-28 lead. He added another 3 to put GU on top 41-33 at the half.
“You always want to zero in when a guy is shooting that well,” Pargo said of feeding Bouldin.
As for his performance, Pargo said, “It was just me slowing down and taking what the defense was giving me. I forced a couple things (Friday).”
GU (5-1) was dialed in from the get-go as Kuso scored from the low block and David Pendergraft connected from 17 feet. Virginia Tech (2-2) stayed within striking distance behind A.D. Vassallo’s 13 first-half points.
The Zags broke it open when Micah Downs dunked off a Pargo feed, Bouldin made a 3-pointer off another Pargo pass and Pargo followed his own miss in the lane. It was 48-33 just 2:15 into the second half.
“I didn’t have any doubts,” said Pargo, who was three assists short of Blake Stepp’s school record. “We’ve been in this situation before last year after losing to Virginia. I knew we’d come out and play hard and get a win.
“The coaches took care (of challenging the players). Everyone knew in their heads what we had to do so there wasn’t much said in the huddles or anything.”
The Hokies got as close as 10 points, but Bouldin and Kuso combined for 12 straight points and a 73-58 Bulldogs’ advantage with 6:35 left.
“We have high expectations of ourselves and we just have to live up to them,” said Kuso, who also blocked three shots.
Austin Daye chipped in 13 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in 13 minutes. Daye, Pendergraft and Pargo drew charging fouls. Pargo was run over by 6-foot-7, 258-pound Jeff Allen, who picked up his fifth foul on the play.
Gonzaga, outrebounded by Texas Tech, had a 32-24 edge over Virginia Tech on the glass.
“We played team basketball,” Few said. “We have a chance to be pretty good if we take care of the ball, move the ball and get each other shots. When we don’t do that, we’re really bad. We also played great team defense.”
The Bulldogs visit Saint Joseph’s and Connecticut next week.