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Patience pays off

GU pulls away late for victory

Jim Meehan  •  Staff writer
Published November 28, 2008

Gonzaga forward Ira Brown played a big role in the Zags' win.Associated Press (Associated Press) View photos from the game BULLDOGS 83 COWBOYS 71 Today: Gonzaga vs. Maryland, 2:30 p.m. TV: ESPN

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Ira Brown started it and the rest of the Gonzaga Bulldogs finished it.

After 14 lead changes and seven ties, Gonzaga finally shook off stubborn Oklahoma State with a tidy final eight minutes to snag an 83-71 quarterfinal win Thursday at the Old Spice Classic.

Brown scored only six points, but they came during a decisive stretch after GU had slipped behind 57-54.

Brown's defense, which included a steal and a key rebound in traffic, also was recognized as he received a standing ovation from Bulldogs fans at The Milk House when he exited with 5:34 remaining.

"I just knew that we could score," Brown said. "In order to win, we had to get stops and that's what I knew was my job – to spark the guys on defense."

No. 9 Gonzaga (3-0) moves into the semifinals against Maryland (4-0), which upset No. 5 Michigan State 80-62. No. 12 Tennessee and No. 21 Georgetown collide in the other semifinal.

Back-to-back baskets by Brown gave GU a 58-57 lead, but the Cowboys answered much the way they did all night – with a timely 3-pointer. The first was by Terrel Harris and the second by Obi Muonelo, whose clutch perimeter shooting was a constant thorn in GU's defense, to reclaim the lead at 63-62.

Josh Heytvelt's short bank shot and Brown's layup in transition triggered nine unanswered points as GU took a 71-63 advantage with 4:21 left. Muonelo struck again, but Matt Bouldin and Micah Downs combined for Gonzaga's next eight points as the lead grew to 11.

Jeremy Pargo added seven points in the latter stages to cap a 15-point, seven-assist night. Downs led Gonzaga with 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

It was his fourth career double-double.

"We showed a lot of composure," said Bouldin, who rebounded from a shaky first half to finish with 12 points and eight rebounds. "We have a veteran team with a lot of experience and it really showed."

It showed at both ends of the court. OSU's offense went cold in the last 10 minutes.

"With five minutes (actually eight) to go, it's a tie game and we turned the ball over four or five straight times," said Cowboys' first-year coach Travis Ford, whose team dropped to 4-1. "We were a team tonight that was inconsistent. We were really great at times and we were really bad at times. I thought Gonzaga was very consistent in their play. They didn't get rattled and they showed their experience and they showed why they're a top 10 team."

But it sure took a while. Gonzaga struggled in the first half and never found its range at the foul line (13 of 26). The Bulldogs also were without Heytvelt and leading scorer Austin Daye for big chunks of the first half after each picked up two fouls. Backup center Rob Sacre, who had foot surgery in early October, saw his first playing time of the year, spelling Heytvelt.

Gonzaga's bench outscored OSU's 21-14 with Steven Gray chipping in 11. The Bulldogs also had a 44-14 edge in points in the paint.

"We survived the first half with Josh and Austin in foul trouble," head coach Mark Few said. "I was kind of hesitating whether to put Rob in because he really hasn't gone up and down with us too much (in practice), but he came in and played very valiantly. 'Meech' (Demetri Goodson) gave us good minutes."

Neither team found an offensive rhythm in a first half that saw a lot of fouls, turnovers and errant shots. Oklahoma State was 0 for 6 with four turnovers before getting its first bucket, a 3-pointer by Ibrahima Thomas with 15:52 left.

Gonzaga was only slightly more productive, leading 7-3 after a Heytvelt jam with 15:42 remaining. Oklahoma State used an 11-2 run to take its largest lead, 19-10, but Gonzaga pulled within 21-20 on two Daye 3-pointers. OSU led 37-36 at the break.

"Personally I was just rushing my shots, missing gimmies," Bouldin said. "It was kind of a crummy half, but we knew we had to come back strong and we did."

Percentages: FG .373, FT .529. 3-Point Goals: 12-32, .375 (Anderson 4-8, Muonelo 4-10, Harris 3-3, Thomas 1-1, Page 0-3, Eaton 0-7). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 2 (Thomas, Anderson). Turnovers: 19 (Eaton 6, Anderson 5, Harris 3, Page 2, Muonelo, A.Brown, Sidorakis). Steals: 5 (Eaton 3, Harris, Muonelo). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .457, FT .500. 3-Point Goals: 6-22, .273 (Downs 2-4, Daye 2-5, Pargo 1-3, Gray 1-5, Heytvelt 0-2, Bouldin 0-3). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 6 (Daye 3, Heytvelt 2, I.Brown). Turnovers: 12 (Daye 3, Pargo 2, Bouldin 2, Goodson 2, Gray 2, TEAM 1). Steals: 6 (Daye 2, Bouldin 2, Pargo, I.Brown). Technical Fouls: TEAM.

Halftime–Oklahoma State 37, Gonzaga 36. A–4,644.