Hirsute Dork's 43 Points Aren't Enough
The Huskies beat #6 Gonzaga last night, ending a seven-game losing streak to the Zags and proving that, despite losing three top scorers from last year, this year's Husky team is worthy of national attention.
No thanks to the Husky student section, however.
The rabid students, some of whom camped out for two days to get tickets to this in-state rivalry, chanted
"take a shower" and "shave your moustache" at Gonzaga's funny-looking junior forward Adam Morrison. Whether the chants inspired him or simply didn't bother him, Morrison scored 43 points last night--but the Dawgs' 99-95 win extended the nation's longest home winning streak to 29 games.
Freshman point guard Justin Dentmon, doing his best Nate Robinson impression, scored 13 points in the game's final 11 minutes, including a critical old-fashioned three-point play with 1:07 left.
With top scorer Brandon Roy in foul trouble most of the game (the Times quoted him this morning saying he thought all five were bad calls), the Huskies needed a balanced scoring effort from the rest of the team, and that's just what they got. Five players (including Roy) finished with two digits in the points column.
Morrison's 43 points were the most against the Huskies since Wally Szczerbiak tallied the same total in a 1999 NCAA tournament game. The record against the Huskies is 45, and Morrison would have beaten it--and the Huskies--had his last second three-pointer not clanged off the iron, just short. After the Zags' Sean Mallon missed an easy putback, Bobby Jones secured the rebound, then nervously sank two free throws to ice the game.
Coach Lorenzo Romar called Morrison's performance the best he's seen by an opponent, and posited that the Huskies played pretty good defense against him--an assessment we concur with.
Brandon Roy, Bobby Jones and Joel Smith guarded Gonzaga's top scorer--all did a great job (Smith's defense is greatly improved over last year). But despite solid defense, Morrison got his points, employing precise shooting and excellent off-ball movement. He also stifled Brandon Roy's offensive game.
With his wispy moustache, Morrision may look like a candidate for early sex offender registration, but he's a terrific college basketball player.
Next up for the 7-0 Husky men-New Mexico (4-2), in Los Angeles at the Wooden Classic. The game is next Saturday at noon, and you can watch it on Channel 7.
The Husky women did not fare as well this weekend, losing a tight game to defending national champion Baylor on Friday, and collapsing Sunday against Texas A&M's superior athleticism.
The 5-2 Husky women begin a four-game homestand on Friday night with a game against Michigan (3-4).
