PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas– Gonzaga and Oregon, two schools located just 460 miles from each other, are arguably the two best teams on a resurgent West Coast this season.But they had to travel 3,000 miles cross country to this island resort to find out who had bragging rights in this cross border rivalry.
When the game finally ended, eight-ranked Gonzaga (8-0) found a way to defeat 11th ranked Oregon, 73-72, in overtime here yesterday to advance to the finals of the Battle 4 Atlantis against Michigan Friday at 2 p.m.
But it wasn’t easy.
The Zags blew a 17 point first half lead and then and allowed a five point lead to slip away in the final minute of regulation when Oregon’s Chris Duarte made two free throws with 7.3 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. They needed all the resiliency and defense they could muster to overcome a four-point deficit in overtime against the surging Pac-12 Ducks (6-1) in second game of this marathon tournament, which has the best field in the country
Drew Timme, a 6-10 freshman forward, scored just seven points, but made one of two free throws with 20.6 seconds remaining to break a 72-72 tie and Gonzaga held on after senior guard Payton Pritchard, who scored 16 points, missed a jump shot on the Ducks’ final possession. After the shot, 6-10 sophomore forward Filip Petrusev from Serbia forced a jump ball in a scramble for the rebound in the paint. The possession arrow favored the Zags with 0.2 seconds left, allowing them to secure the win by successfully inbounding the ball to redshirt sophomore guard Joel Ayayi to kill the clock.
This was Gonzaga’s first win ever over the Ducks after nine straight losses. Oregon will play North Carolina– their third AP ranked team in three days– in the third place game.
“These guys just found enough to make one extra play, even after we lost the lead there,” Few said. “They showed a lot of poise and composure and I’m so proud of them, just for their mental capacity and mental toughness they showed to weather all the storms out there. So it was a great win.
“”You always wonder with every team: what is it really going to be like when your backs are pressed up against the wall and they’ve got hands on you?” Few said. “They responded terrific, as good as any of our teams quite frankly.”
This game was more survival than Sports Center highlight film material.
The Zags were so banged up from injuries, they used just seven players, with three starters playing over 40 minutes. Gonzaga was missing freshman Anton Watson, who was wearing a boot on his right foot after suffering an ankle sprain early in Wednesday’s quarterfinal win over Southern Miss. Additionally, 6-10 senior forward Killian Tille from France, the Zags’ most experienced player, was playing for the first time since suffering a knee injury and guards Ryan Woolridge and Admon Gilder both played despite nursing knee injuries.
But this team found a way.
“It’s kind of a warrior’s mentality that coach Few has been repeating over and over again,” Zags’ junior wing forward Corey Kispert said. “When the ball goes up, we’re going to run with who we’ve got. The seven-eight guys that are out on the floor happen to be really, really good.”
The Zags, who shot just 29 percent in the second half, won this one with stifling defense. They held the Ducks, who was coming off a fiercely contested 71-69 win over Big East favorite Seton Hall in the quarterfinals, to just 33,8 percent shooting on 80 shots and limited the clutch shooting Pritchard to just 7 of 23 from the field.” Gonzaga 6-11 sophomore forward Filip Petrusev from Serbia posted a double-double with 22 points for this internationally flavored team and 15 rebounds and junior wing Corey Kispert added 17 points and seven rebounds, draining five threes.
For the second consecutive game, Oregon had to overcome a double figure deficit. In the game against the Hall, the Ducks trailed the Hall by 19 in the second half. This time, they missed 11 of their first 14 shots and quickly fell behind 24-7. But the Ducks had plenty of fight.
“I hope they learn that we can’t have those stretches,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “You just can’t do that on a consistent basis and have a good ball team.
”Our guys battled hard after a bad start. It’s on me to get them moving the ball better. It’s on me to get them in better sets. Our offense has got to be much more efficient than we showed tonight.”
