College Basketball Roundup | Zags turn it around late
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Gonzaga had an awful night shooting free throws until it mattered most.
After making just half their foul shots for most of the game Thursday, the 14th-ranked Bulldogs made their last eight to hold off Western Kentucky 74-71 in the first round of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.
“One thing [about the free-throw shooting] I think we showed a lot of courage,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “It was going bad and we fixed it, and that takes a lot of courage.”
The Bulldogs (4-0) were 10 for 20 from free throw line before finally finding their stroke in final 6:12. Jeremy Pargo made four while Matt Bouldin made two, as did Micah Downs, a graduate of Juanita High School in Kirkland.
“It was a very, very gutty hard-earned win,” Few said. “We weathered a lot of adversity tonight.”
Gonzaga also was able to get second chances, outrebounding Western Kentucky 43-30. Robert Sacre had a huge rebound bucket with 22 seconds left that sealed the victory.
“I think it was a big, big factor in getting us through some rough spots on the offensive end,” Few said.
Gonzaga led by as many as seven early in the first half, getting strong inside play and seven points from Bouldin. But Courtney Lee scored five consecutive points for Western Kentucky and the teams battled back and forth with the Hilltoppers leading briefly twice before Gonzaga took a 36-34 halftime lead.
Bouldin and Lee each scored 12 points in the first half.
Western Kentucky (3-1) ran off eight consecutive points to start the second half and led by as many as seven with 13:13 to go.
Gonzaga, however, whittled it down and tied it at 60 on Pargo’s free throws with 6:12 left.
Playing without Abdullahi Kuso and Austin Daye, who fouled out with two minutes to go, Gonzaga got two key baskets inside in less than a minute by David Pendergraft of Brewster to take the lead for good at 70-66.
Bouldin led Gonzaga with 18 points. Downs chipped in 14 for Gonzaga and Pargo 12.
Lee led Western Kentucky with 19.
OTHER MEN’S GAMES
George Mason 87,
No. 18 Kansas State 77
John Vaughan scored 21 points and Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas each added 18 to lead the Patriots (4-0) to an upset of the Wildcats (3-1) in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The Patriots, who made a surprising run to the Final Four two seasons ago, have won four in a row to start a season for the first time in school history. They advanced to today’s second round against Villanova.
Michael Beasley had at least 30 points for the third time in four games for Kansas State. But the 6-foot-10 freshman rode the bench for long stretches because of foul trouble.
No. 19 Southern Illinois 63,
Chattanooga 41
Randal Falker scored 21 points to help the Salukis (2-0) defeat the Mocs (1-2) in the opening round of the inaugural Anaheim Classic. Southern Illinois will play today in Anaheim, Calif., against Mississippi State, which beat UC Irvine 68-53. USC and Miami (Ohio) were the other first-round winners.
Bryan Mullins added 10 points for Southern Illinois, which reached the final 16 of the NCAA tournament last season. Falker and Mullins are among three returning starters from that team.
No. 20 Villanova 76,
Central Florida 68
Freshman guard Corey Fisher scored 18 points to help the Wildcats (3-0) defeat the Knights (2-1) in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic.
Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds scored 19 points.
Mike O’Donnell led Central Florida with 24 points.
Virginia Tech 69,
Eastern Washington 52
Malcolm Delaney scored 18 points to lead the Hokies (2-0) past the Eagles (1-4) in the first round of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout late Wednesday in Anchorage.
Eastern Washington shot 39 percent from the field.
Guard Trey Gross led Eastern Washington with 18 points.
Women’s games
No. 9 Duke 53,
No. 22 Purdue 41
Jasmine Thomas scored 15 points to lead the Blue Devils (4-0) over the Boilermakers (2-1) in the Paradise Jam in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Chante Black added 12 for Duke.
Akron 66,
Eastern Washington 62
Sarah Tokodi scored 18 points and Kara Murphy added 13 as the Zips (2-2) defeated the Eagles (1-3) before 72 spectators in the Oahu Classic in Honolulu.
Nicole Scott of Eastern scored 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting and Jessica Huntington, who is from Yakima, scored 11 points.