Dickau Gives Gonzaga a Wake-Up Call, 82-64
SAN DIEGO — Whatever it was--the noon starting time, an inspired opponent or the Sports Illustrated jinx--Dan Dickau wasn’t going allow things to get any worse for Gonzaga.
Not after watching Loyola Marymount pull within six points of the No. 7-ranked Bulldogs midway through the second half.
“We got fed up,” Dickau said. “We just said, ‘All right, let’s stop that, let’s turn it around and play the way we have all year.’”
The senior guard promptly ignited a closing run that squelched the threat and carried second-seeded Gonzaga to an 82-64 victory in the first round of the West Coast Conference tournament Saturday at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Dickau, the WCC’s player of the year, scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, when seventh-seeded Loyola narrowed a 14-point halftime deficit to 52-46 with 10 minutes to play after consecutive baskets by freshman forward Andy Osborn.
“When we came within six points, you could tell that [Dickau] was going to try to take the game over,” Loyola Coach Steve Aggers said. “He did what All-American players do.”
Still, the Lions (9-20) could walk away with their heads high, despite ending the season with their 12th consecutive defeat. They made Gonzaga sweat for a lot longer than anyone could have expected.
“Gonzaga obviously is a great team [but] I felt our team gave them all they wanted,” Aggers said. “Our players played with great heart.”
By extending its winning streak to 12 games, Gonzaga (27-3) advanced to the semifinals at 6:30 tonight against fifth-seeded San Diego (16-12). The Bulldogs are seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive WCC tournament title. They have beaten Loyola 15 consecutive times, a streak dating to the 1996-97 season.
Dickau, the subject of a Sport Illustrated story this week, might have been thinking about the magazine’s so-called jinx after being limited to two points and no field goals in the first half while being closely guarded by Eurskine Robinson.
But behind center Cory Violette and forwards Zach Gourde and Alex Hernandez, Gonzaga had success scoring inside and led at halftime, 37-23.
“The beauty of having [Dickau] is that he goes with the flow for a while, then he figures out what to do and gets it going,” Bulldog Coach Mark Few said.
“Loyola played us physical and took us out of some things [offensively]. They made us adjust, but our guys hung in there.... We take whatever you give us.”
When Loyola made its move in the second half, Dickau responded by driving the lane for a basket. Reserve guard Kyle Bankhead followed with a three-point basket, Dickau matched his teammate with another three-point basket and Gonzaga was on its way to a 24-9 run that built the lead to 76-55 with 1:41 left.
“[Loyola] hit some shots and we didn’t play good defense for a few minutes,” Dickau said, explaining the Bulldogs’ second-half lapse.
Center Greg Lakey, playing well against Gonzaga’s imposing front line, led Loyola with 18 points and eight rebounds. Guard Kent Dennis had 10 points. The Lions shot only 37.9% (22 of 58) from the field and didn’t get their first basket from outside the lane until Dennis made a three-point shot after 11:41 had elapsed.
Violette and Gourde each scored 16 points, and Violette had 10 rebounds to help Gonzaga to a 42-32 rebounding edge. Hernandez and Bankhead made solid contributions off the bench, each scoring 11.
“Gonzaga has as good a front line as any team on the West Coast,” Aggers said. “If you don’t rebound against them, you’re beat.”
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San Diego 69, San Francisco 67--Andre Laws’ three-point basket with 4.4 seconds to play lifted the Toreros before a jubilant home crowd.
Laws, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, had pulled San Diego within 67-66 on a driving, one-handed dunk with 18.9 seconds left.
San Francisco forward Darrell Tucker missed a one-and-one free throw with 15.7 seconds left, and Laws dribbled into the front court and launched his winning shot from the left side, a few feet behind the three-point arc.
San Francisco (13-15) rallied from a 60-52 deficit with 8:43 left to take a 67-64 lead on Shamell Stallworth’s three-point basket with 27.3 seconds left. Stallworth led all scorers with 28 points.
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Saint Mary’s 72, Santa Clara 67--Freshman guard Adam Caporn scored five of his 15 points in overtime to lead the Gaels to an upset over the third-seeded Broncos.
Santa Clara (13-15) forced the overtime when Justin Holbrook made a three-point basket at the buzzer in regulation to tie the score, 55-55.
Saint Mary’s shot only 32.8% (19 of 58) from the field but managed to erase an eight-point deficit in the final 2:44 of regulation. The Gaels outscored Santa Clara in overtime, 17-12.
