March sadness
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Celebrating fans flooded the floor as the final buzzer sounded in the Big West Conference Championship game Saturday at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Unfortunately for the Utah State University men’s basketball team and the fans who ventured west for the weekend, it was the University of California Santa Barbara going crazy on the hardwood.
After trailing by as many as 11 points, 33-22 with 4:50 remaining in the first half, the Aggies simply were out of luck as they were forced to foul a team down the stretch who had been strong from the stripe all season.
Utah State (No. 1 BWC seed and 23-7 overall) finished the tournament in second place behind UCSB (No. 3 BWC seed and 20-10 overall), as the Gauchos came away with the 60-56 victory.
“It’s always tough to lose,” Utah State Head Coach Stew Morrill said. “That’s the nature of college athletics.”
Morrill said he thought Santa Barbara came out aggressive from the start and continued on both ends of the court.
A key factor to the UCSB victory was how the Gauchos outrebounded the Aggies, 31-28. The Gauchos also outshot USU from the charity stripe, 12 of 15 compared to 9 of 12.
“We battled on the boards,” Morrill said. “Offensively, we had a lot of empty trips. We came down the floor and didn’t get much done. We turned [the ball] over and didn’t get great shots, and that’s a credit to their defense.”
Improved second half play by the Aggies gave them a chance at what would have been their third trip to the NCAA Tournament in as many years. Guard Ronnie Ross, who finished the game with six points and three assists, checked in late in the final half after watching most of the game from the bench behind backup Calvin Brown.
Ross drilled a trey with 2:35 left, tying the game at 53-53. Guard Jakoby Atako hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute along with two free throws by Branduinn Fullove, putting the game on ice for the Gauchos.
USU had four players in double digits, forward Desmond Penigar (12), forward Toraino Johnson (10), guard Tony Brown (10) and center Mike Ahmad (12).
Forward Branduinn Fullove led the Gauchos with 12 points, followed by center Adama Ndiaye with 11 and guard Nick Jones with 10.
“It’s good to be a Gaucho right now,” UCSB Head Coach Bob Williams said. “They proved the road couldn’t be sweeter. You want to prove yourselves against the best, and we proved ourselves by beating Cal Poly, UC Irvine and Utah State.”
Santa Barbara defeated the UCI Anteaters 66-61 Friday in the BWC Semifinals, sending UCSB to the conference championship game for the first time in school history. The team also extended its winning streak to five games by defeating USU, surpassing its longest streak this season.
Prior to the championship game, Utah State sent the Pacific Tigers packing as Brown scored a career-high 29 points in the 69-65 victory.
“I thought it was a very good college basketball game,” Morrill said of the semifinal match-up.
Morrill said the team was tickled to even have the chance at competing in the championship game and frankly, it was where the team expected to end up.
Brown, who said he had a good night against Pacific when he needed to, had an all-around successful tournament, landing a spot on the Big West Conference all-tournament team.
Teammate Desmond Penigar, finishing the championship game six boards, joined Brown on the team.
Gaucho Jones was selected as the tournament’s most valuable player. Fellow UCSB player Fullove made the team, as well as Pacific’s Mike Preston and UCI’s Jerry Green.
Morrill said he probably ran Brown out this season, but it was crucial sometimes to winning games.
“He looked like he was running on fumes [against the Gauchos],” Morrill said.
With the loss to UCSB and no automatic bid or at large bid into March Madness, the Aggies will look for an invite to the National Invitational Tournament, something Morrill is confident in.
The Gauchos, who landed a No. 14 spot in the Westbracket of the NCAA Tournament, will play Arizona in the first round in New Mexico.
Saying he has been a realist lately, Morrill said he knew it was tough for the Big West Conference to get an at large bid.
“I told the kids we’re probably in the NIT,” Morrill said. “That’s probably where we are.”
He was right.
For the third time this season, the Aggies will play Montana State University – albeit this time in the NIT.
The two teams will take the court Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. in the Spectrum.
USU is 2-0 against the Bobcats this season, defeating them 66-51 Nov. 17, 2001 in Bozeman, Mont., and 60-55 Dec. 4, 2001 in Logan.
Senior Tony Brown has his shot rejected during Saturday´s Big West championship game at the Anaheim Convention Center. (John Zsiray )
Mike Ahmad and Chad Evans somberly sit and wait for the UCSB fans to clear the floor. (John Zsiray )