Memory lane packed for decades-long Gonzaga-Santa Clara rivalry | West Coast Conclusion
Gonzaga-Santa Clara doesn’t approach the annual GU-Saint Mary’s collisions that seemingly determine the West Coast Conference hierarchy.
But for sheer drama, individual excellence (hello Steve Nash), inexplicable fouls 70 feet from the hoop, game-winning shots and the expiration of a pair of lengthy homecourt winning streaks, Zags-Broncos more than holds its own for must-see moments over the course of Gonzaga’s 46-year run in the WCC.
One of the series’ most meaningful matchups in decades takes place Saturday when the two one-loss WCC squads square off at the Leavey Center, where the teams have made a habit of unpredictable endings.
Here’s a look back at five unforgettable Zags-Broncos encounters as GU’s final season in the WCC winds down.
Nash’s 40 clips Martin Centre winning streak
Before Steve Nash went on to torment NBA defenses, winning two MVPs and earning a Hall of Fame induction, the Canadian native carried a previously middle-of-the-pack program to three NCAA Tournaments in four seasons as a Bronco.
The 6-foot-3 guard needed just 25 minutes to snap Gonzaga’s 34-game Martin Centre winning streak constructed over three seasons. By his own admission, Nash was “terrible” in the first half as SCU slipped into a 16-point hole against Dan Fitzgerald’s 1995 Zags.
Nash took over in the second half and in overtime, hitting seven 3-pointers and scoring 35 of the team’s 53 points. The eventual two-time WCC player of the year made 8 of 17 on 3s, barely exceeding his season average of 45.4% accuracy, and 10 of 13 at the foul line for a career-high 40 points in a 73-68 victory.
“I wasn’t concerned with their win streak,” Nash told The Spokesman-Review. “They kicked our butt here last year and I wanted to get them back.”
“I wouldn’t mind going 34-1 again,” Fitzgerald offered. “I’m not greedy.”
The loss dropped the Zags to 0-3 in conference. They eventually lost their first six before hitting their stride. Riding John Rillie’s magical 3-point shooting (20 of 28 in three wins), fourth-seeded Gonzaga rolled to a WCC Tournament title and the program’s first trip to March Madness.
Top-seeded Santa Clara lost to No. 8 LMU in the first round of the conference tournament, then fell to Mississippi State in an NCAA Tournament opener.
Broncos bust another GU homecourt streak
Gonzaga carried the nation’s longest active winning streak (50) into a 2007 matchup against Santa Clara, just three days after the arrest and indefinite suspension of center Josh Heytvelt and reserve forward Theo Davis.
GU held off Saint Mary’s without the pair but slipped into a 13-0 hole against the Broncos. The Zags trailed by 13 at half and by 19 with just under 13 minutes remaining before rallying within 71-65.
Former Shadle Park High standout Danny Pariseau made a key 3-pointer as the Broncos handed Gonzaga its first loss in the McCarthey Athletic Center after 38 consecutive wins.
“It’s a tough one,” Zags coach Mark Few said. “(The players) aren’t used to losing here. None of us are.”
Derek Raivio scored 21 points, including 15 straight to fuel GU’s second-half comeback, and Jeremy Pargo had 20. Scott Dougherty led SCU with 22 points, Brody Angley – remember that name – added 18 and Pariseau had 14.
Gonzaga rallied to win WCC regular-season and tournament titles, the latter over second-seeded Santa Clara behind MVP Raivio, before falling to Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
SCU fouls up court-storming plans
Security roped off segments of the Leavey Center court in 2008 as Santa Clara fans prepared to rush the floor with the Broncos leading by two with 3.2 seconds left and inbounding the ball near Gonzaga’s basket.
The Broncos lobbed a pass 70 feet downcourt. GU freshman guard Steven Gray deflected the ball toward the sideline and the race was on between Gray and Angley for possession. Eighteen years later, Gray still remembers the play in precise detail.
“It was like a cornerback type of deal, try to make a play on the ball,” Gray said. “I remember checking the clock as we were chasing it down. I absolutely secured the ball and as soon as he touched me, I thought, ‘This is a great opportunity,’ so I just went down. There was nothing else to do.”
Almost instantly, a ref blew his whistle. Foul on Angley with 0.3 seconds left.
“I probably should have just let him try to chuck it up instead of trying to beat him to (the loose ball),” Angley said after the game. “I ended up running into him and committing the foul.”
Gray felt the gravity of the situation striding toward the free-throw line.
“I was so nervous,” Gray said. “The first one went in pretty smooth. The second like hit the front rim, rolled around, shooter’s touch and dropped. I swear from that moment on, I felt so comfortable at the line the rest of my career.”
Angley scored a career-high 28 points, including a couple of big shots in the two overtime periods, but GU freshman Austin Daye scored 13 of his 22 points in the extra sessions in an improbable 87-82 win.
Gray, who played professionally for a decade, called it the craziest game of his career.
“I saw (former Zag) Jeff Brown at the alumni game (Gonzaga vs. Seattle U on Jan. 2) and he told me that was like one of his favorite moments,” said Gray, who runs Steven Gray Basketball in Western Washington, coaching and training kids. “I want to say he was down there with a buddy for that game, experiencing it from another perspective.”
Dower power
Sam Dower Jr. didn’t play anywhere close to his best in this 2014 meeting that wasn’t easy on the eye. His teammates could relate.
Santa Clara led 22-20 at half. The teams combined for 26 turnovers and just 34 field goals. Final shooting percentages: Gonzaga 34, Santa Clara 36.
The Zags escaped a seven-point deficit in the second half to take a seemingly safe 49-39 lead, but nothing can be taken for granted at the Leavey Center until there are triple zeros on the game clock.
SCU clawed back to take a 52-51 lead when 6-foot guard Brandon Clark – not to be confused with former Zag Brandon Clarke – hit a floater over 7-2 Przemek Karnowski with 28.6 seconds left.
Gonzaga designed a play for Kevin Pangos, who played through a painful turf toe injury for most of the season, but the Broncos took that option away.
Kyle Dranginis was dribbling out front when he zipped a pass to Dower near the top of the circle. The 6-9 big man with the soft touch calmly hit a 3-pointer that gave GU a 54-52 lead with 1.9 seconds remaining.
“I get the ball and in my mind there wasn’t enough time to get it to Pangos,” Dower said earlier this week. “I gotta put it up. I shot it with confidence. It ended up being the greatest shot in my career.”
Even if it wasn’t a shot Dower normally attempted. By season’s end, Dower made just 6 of 19 3-pointers.
Dower remembers the celebration in the locker room and one of Few’s remarks.
“I was happy but I was thinking about the game and I didn’t play well,” Dower recalled. “Coach Few said, ‘Sam, that shot should carry you on the rest of the season, give you momentum. You should be so proud.’ I believe it did.”
‘Stocks’ pays dividends with clutch shot
Less than six weeks after Dower’s clutch 3, the Zags broke Santa Clara’s hearts again.
The ninth-seeded Broncos’ upset bid came up just short as top-seeded Gonzaga dug out a 77-75 win in the 2014 WCC Tournament quarterfinals at Orleans Arena.
GU, which trailed most of the game, had possession with nine seconds left after blowing a five-point lead in a 24-second span. The play called for Dower to set a high screen for David Stockton and then rely on Stockton to make the correct read.
Stockton snaked down the lane and connected on a twisting layup with 1.4 seconds on the clock.
“Me and David had always done well with pick-and-rolls,” said Dower, who has returned to his home state in Minnesota and works in medical sales. “It wasn’t a normal, easy shot, but Stocks practiced those shots all the time.”
Dower made 15 of 15 free throws and scored a team-high 23 points.
“I’d been around guys before, the Robert Sacres, Matt Bouldins of the world, and I saw them lead their teams through the WCC Tournament to make it to the NCAA Tournament,” Dower said. “I didn’t want to be the first senior to not lead our team to the tourney. That was my mindset.”
Dower was named MVP after leading Gonzaga past Saint Mary’s in the semifinals and BYU in the championship game in Las Vegas. The eighth-seeded Zags defeated Oklahoma State before falling to No. 1-seeded Arizona in the round of 32.