The Gonzaga Bulldogs crushed the San Francisco Dons 70-53 Saturday night in Spokane. On the western side of the state, fans of the Washington Huskies must have had their hands on their heads after watching the Huskies fall to Pac-10 leading Arizona 87-86 in a thrilling contest.
Gonzaga rising up standings to take back WCC
With the win, the Bulldogs jumped over the Dons in the WCC standings to second place, one game behind St. Mary’s. Gonzaga has won the West Coast Conference the last 11 years, but this year that streak is in serious jeopardy. Gonzaga’s next game will decide who wins the conference and they will have to travel to California and beat St. Mary’s on the road if they want that streak to continue. Gonzaga plays St. Mary’s on Thursday Feb. 24.
Gonzaga was led in scoring by senior Steven Gray with 19 points. With the win over San Francisco, the Bulldogs avenged a 96-91 loss in San Francisco back on Jan. 22. Gonzaga’s next game in January was a loss to St. Mary’s, their third straight conference loss, was certainly a low-point in the season. Now Gonzaga can turn things around and take back the conference. With a 19-9 record and only 1-5 against ranked teams, Gonzaga needs to win the conference to assure them a berth in the NCAA tournament.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/2250/gonzaga-bulldogs Washington's shot at win rejected in final seconds
Oh how the drama of a close basketball game can bring you to the edge of your seat and turn to heartbreak in a flash of a blocked shot. With two seconds remaining, Washington’s Darnell Gant’s shot in the paint was rejected emphatically by Arizona forward Derrick Williams to preserve an 87-86 Arizona win over Washington Saturday in Tucson.
Williams did everything for Arizona to secure the victory. He scored 10 of his game high 26 points in the final six minutes, grabbed 11 rebounds, and his last of two blocks won the game while fans in white exploded in celebration.
Washington was led by Matthew Bryan-Amaning who had 24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 blocks and 4 steals. His dunk over Williams tied the game at 80.
The loss was a huge blow to the Huskies chance to repeat as Pac-10 champions. Washington remains third in the conference, three games behind Arizona with three conference games remaining.
The Wildcats ran out to a 12 point lead early in the first half before the Huskies made it a game, outscoring Arizona in the second half.
The final five minutes of the game went back and forth with both teams not backing down. Bryan-Amaning blocked a shot that was rebounded and scored by Arizona forward Soloman Hill, which gave Arizona the lead with 24 seconds left. Then both teams traded turnovers before Washington’s last chance with 2 seconds left. Rejected.
The Huskies have struggled on the road in Pac-10 games, losing all five away from home. Washington’s final three games are all at home, one against UCLA, who is one game ahead of UW in the conference standings. Its time to dig deep for the Huskies as the Pac-10 tournament nears.
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