BOOM! Pilots fly high over No. 24 St. Mary's

By The Beacon | February 2, 2011 9:00pm
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Led by freshman Tim Douglas’ 26 points, the Pilots’ 85-70 dismantling of the No. 24 St. Mary’s Gaels (now unranked) leads to a crucial game against rival Gonzaga

(Kevin Kadooka -- The Beacon)

By Bruce Garlinghouse, Staff Writer -- garlingh13@up.edu

Senior Kramer Knutson was at dinner with his girlfriend and parents when he received a text from fellow teammates telling him to check out SportsCenter.

Knutson then realized his electrifying one handed put-back had made it onto a list that every athlete dreams of being selected for: SportsCenter's Top Ten.

"It was really cool," Knutson said. "We always watch it in The Cove and talk about being on it. Especially beating out Blake Griffin."

Midway through the second half, Knutson followed a missed jump shot with a left-handed put-back that electrified the Chiles Center and landed Knutson the number five spot on SportsCenter's Weekend Top Ten.

Knutson's dunk was one of many highlights that made up the Pilots' convincing victory over conference favorite St. Mary's, beating the Gaels 85-70.

With the win, the Pilots remain undefeated in the friendly confines of the Chiles Center and picked up a much needed conference win after their tough road trip a week prior.

"All week, coach has been talking about making plays that win games. And that's what we did. We made plays that win," Knutson said.

Many of those plays can be attributed to freshman Tim Douglas. The point guard erupted with 26 points, four assists and five rebounds.

"I told Tim I don't consider him a freshman anymore. After the St. Mary's game I told him he needed to elevate his game, limit mistakes and produce consistent positives," Head Coach Eric Reveno said.

While Douglas showed an elevated level of play, senior Jared Stohl and junior Nemanja Mitrovic continued their offensive production, scoring 38 points between them and remaining threats beyond the arc.

The Pilots led by two going into half, but went on a 16-0 run after consecutive threes from Stohl and Mitrovic, capped off by eight points straight by Douglas.

Despite St. Mary's senior guard Mickey McConnel's 32 points, the Pilots' refocus on defense proved successful against the sharpshooting Gaels.

St. Mary's entered the game shooting over 50 percent from the field, but the Gaels were held to 39 percent from field and 32 percent from three.

St. Mary's marked the first half of a rivalry week for the Pilots as they prepare for tonight's game against Gonzaga.

Gonzaga lost 71-73 to the Gaels earlier in the week and are 14-8 (4-3).

Knutson said the win over St. Mary's has given the Pilots a lot of confidence.

"Everybody played well so we're all feeling really good going into the game against Gonzaga," Knutson said.


(UP Athletics)

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