A packed Chiles Center and a halftime “flash mob” not enough to spur Pilots past Gonzaga
(Bryan Brenize -- The Beacon)
By Bruce Garlinghouse, Staff Writer -- garlingh13@up.edu
The Pilots return to conference play tonight as they head to Malibu to face Pepperdine. The Pilots won their last out-of-conference game, defeating Seattle 71-55 and bouncing back from a tough loss to Gonzaga two days prior.
Last Thursday's game against Gonzaga opened as hundreds of fans in the Chiles Center held signs bearing the slogan "We Zig not Zag." And for the first half of last Thursday's game against their conference rival, that was the case.
But in the second half the "zig" wore off and the Zags chipped away at an early Pilot lead, handing them their first loss in the Chiles Center this year, and the Zags walked away with a 67-64 win.
"We all agree we let that one get away," senior Luke Sikma said. "We were all pretty disappointed."
The Pilots led the whole first half by as much as 13 points after five straight three-pointers due to another sharp-shooting performance by senior Jared Stohl and junior Nemanja Mitrovic.
Mitrovic has emerged as a serious deep threat, creating a two-headed three-point shooting monster for the Pilots.
"I was recruited as a shooter, but my stats from last year don't show it," Mitrovic said. "It's always been a strength of mine and I've just brought it to a higher level this year."
But the hot hands of Stohl and Mitrovic weren't enough to stave off the Bulldogs, who slowly chipped away and eventually jumped out to a 10-point lead in the second half.
The Bulldogs went with a bigger line-up in the second half to offset the Pilots' shooting and exploited the mismatches created by their seven-foot center Robert Sacre.
Sacre ended the game with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
"(Mark) Few is a good coach and he made the right adjustments. We weren't able to get the stops we were getting in the first half," Sikma said.
The Pilots rallied back two times in the second half, first with an 8-0 run capped off by a Stohl three-pointer to cut the lead to two with 5:30 left and again to reduce it to two with a late runner by freshman Tim Douglas.
But it wouldn't be enough as Gonzaga's Steven Gray made four consecutive free-throws to ice the game.
Gray ended the game with 15 points and NBA legend John Stockton's son, David Stockton, added 12 points and six assists.
This was Gonzaga's 16th straight win in Portland and might have been the Pilot seniors' last chance to grab a victory over the Bulldogs.
Sikma said he doesn't think this will be his last chance.
"The tournament championship always goes through St. Mary's or Gonzaga, and us seniors relish the chance to get to face them one more time," Sikma said.
The Pilots had little time to nurse the tough loss, having to travel to Seattle to face Seattle University in Key Arena on Saturday.
Sikma said playing a game soon after a tough loss is more beneficial than anything.
"It doesn't give you time to focus on the loss. You just have to wake up the next morning, get refocused and go out and win the next game," he said.
After Pepperdine, the Pilots take a short drive to L.A. where they will face Loyola Marymount as they head into their final stretch of the regular season.
The Pilots had little trouble with Pepperdine in their first meeting, winning 57-42.
Their first meeting with Loyola Marymount was a different story. The Pilots squeaked out a victory in double OT.
The Pilots face the Lions Feb. 12.
