Monday, March 09, 2009

Gonzaga and Siena Play Their Way In

West Coast Final: Gonzaga 83, St. Mary's 58

Gonzaga wasn't about to let a perfect 14-0 conference record be marred by one game and they opened full bore against the Gaels, scoring the first 8 points of the game.

St. Mary's didn't make a basket until nearly 6 minutes into the game. By then, the Bulldogs were off the leash and on the run. The Gaels pulled to within 5 points twice during the first half, but Gonzaga led by 13 at the break, 38-25. It got even worse as Gonzaga opened up a huge lead in the second half to secure their NCAA invitation.

Josh Heytvelt led the Bulldogs with 17 points. Micah Downs had a dozen points and the same number of rebounds.

St. Mary's Patrick Mills, in his second game back after sitting out since january with a broken wrist, wasn't a factor, hitting just 2 of 16 shots, including 0 of 7 from beyond the arc. His teammates didn't fare much better. The Gaels shot just 29% (19-66) for the game.

Metro Athletic Final: Siena 77, Niagara 70

The Siena Saints kept scoring, but they couldn't shake loose from the gritty Purple Eagles of Niagara. The score tied 50-50, with 8:39 left to play, Kenny Hasbrouck took matters into his own hands, scoring the next seven points for the Saints. When Ryan Rossiter scored to make it 59-51, the Saints were on their way to the NCAA tournament. Rossiter scored again and Hasbrouck added two more buckets in short order and Niagara could only respond with three points, making it 65-54 with 4:33 left.

Hasbrouck had 19 points. Rossiter finished with 16 points and 14 boards. Alex Franklin scored 16.

Niagara shot just 34%, but were busy on the boards, pulling down 19 offensive rebounds and 43 overall.

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