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Last Second Shot, Free-Throws Let Gonzaga Escape with 75-72 Victory, USF Gets Fourth Seed
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Pierre Altidor-Cespedes made a three-point shot with one second remaining in regulation to give Gonzaga (25-3, 14-0 WCC) a 75-72 victory over USF (Monday night in Spokane in the regular season finale for both teams.
It was the second straight season that Gonzaga, who has not lost at home in their two-year old building defeated USF with a second to go. Last year the Bulldogs won on a last second Adam Morrison jumper.
USF will open WCC tournament play Saturday as the number four seed playing the winner of the San Diego-Pepperdine 5-8 matchup.
USF simply lost the game at the free-throw line, with the homestanding Bulldogs making 18 of 23 free-throws while USF made just 3 of 7.
Adam Morrison scored 34 points, but it was his assist on Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes' 3-pointer with 1 second left that lifted No. 5 Gonzaga to a 75-72 victory over San Francisco on Monday night, completing the Bulldogs' second undefeated run through the West Coast Conference in three years.
Gonzaga won its 16th straight game, tying No. 7 George Washington for the longest streak in the nation. The Bulldogs won their 38th consecutive home game, easily the longest such streak in the nation and a school record.
Jason Wallace-Carter of San Francisco missed a long jumper at the buzzer. The Bulldogs have won 23 consecutive conference games dating to last season when USF topped them at War Memorial Gym. Jerome Gumbs had 20 points and Armondo Surratt added 19 for San Francisco (11-16, 7-7).
"We put out a really good effort and competed," said Dons' Head Coach Jessie Evans. "We were really focused. We kept competing after Alan Wiggins had to leave the game with foul trouble. We passed the ball well and showed we can play with anyone, including Gonzaga, a top-20 team. It is hard compete with any team when they are on the free-throw line.
"One thing that we have established is that we will be a really tough team to take out," he added. "Our team is getting better and while I am not happy with our record, I am happy with the team's improvement." Morrison, the nation's leading scorer, had his 13th 30-point game of the season.
San Francisco opened the second half with a 14-6 run to take a 52-44 lead. Morrison then scored five straight points to cut the Dons' lead to 55-54.
San Francisco's Vince Polakovic replied with a 3-pointer and Wallace-Carter and Surratt added baskets for a 62-54 lead.
Then Morrison scored 10 points over the next 3 1/2 minutes, with his 3-pointer giving Gonzaga a 66-64 lead with 5:14 left.
The Dons came right back, with Surratt converting a three-point play and Gumbs hitting a 3-pointer from the corner, for a 70-68 lead with 4:12 left. Morrison tied it for the Zags with 3:06 left.
Neither team scored for the next 2 1/2 minutes, and Gonzaga got the ball with 34 seconds left after Erroll Knight blocked Surratt's layup attempt. After a timeout, J.P. Batista hit a spinning layup with 25 seconds left for a 72-70 lead. Gumbs made a layup to tie the game and the Bulldogs called a timeout with 9.7 seconds left.
Altidor-Cespedes, who finished with nine points, took a pass from Morrison and buried a 3-pointer from the right side for a 75-72 lead. Batista added 17 points and 11 rebounds for Gonzaga which made 18 of 23 free throws while the Dons were just 3-of-7 from the line.
Gonzaga has not lost at home since Feb. 19, 2003, to Portland. Hofstra is second in the country with 20 straight home wins.
