ATLANTA - In its third consecutive bout in the NCAA Tournament, MSU delivered several heavy blows to knockout Gonzaga 77-62 Friday night.
With a mixture of ball pressuring defense and fearless rebounding, the Spartans were able to overcome a one-point deficit (43-44) with less than 15 minutes remaining to advance to its third straight Elite Eight Appearence.
“I saw some of their players jogging down the floor,” said senior forward Andre Hutson of the Bulldogs, who fell victim to a 19-6 MSU run after taking the lead.
“That was definitely a time when we as a team knew that we could make something happen. They showed some fatigue and I thought we did a good job taking advantage of that.”
Senior guard Charlie Bell, who had a tough assignment defending speedy guard Dan Dickau, led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed a team high 10 rebounds.
“We were able to get the ball inside more in the second half and that really helped me find my shot,” Bell said. “I’m feeling more confident each game with my shooting and it’s great that I had the opportunities to connect on some tonight.”
Bell along with Hutson, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds, was able to chase down missed Gonzaga shots in the second half and put intense pressure on Dickau and center Casey Calvary.
Dickau, who finished with a team high 19 points shooting 6-of-17 from the floor, said it was Bell’s aggressive play that made him struggle.
“He’s probably the best defender I have played against,” Dickau said. “I could tell he wasn’t going to quit, he was just too strong.”
With numerous mid-range shots and free throws falling short after the break, Calvary - who scored only four of his 17 points in the second half - credited Hutson and the rest of MSU’s frontline for forcing him to make difficult attempts.
Sophomore forward Al Anagonye, redshirt freshman center Jason Andreas and freshman center Zach Randolph also shared duties with Hutson on the Bulldog’s leading scorer.
“They had a lot of big bodies that are real physical and they just kept throwing themselves at me,” said Calvary of the group. “I don’t know if it was nerves or fatigue, but they definitely took me out of my game.”
But not everything was as sweet as a Georgia peach for the Spartans in the first half.
In the first 20 minutes of play the Spartans lacked aggressiveness and allowed Gonzaga to go on a 16-8 run to tie the game at 32 after a layup by guard Anthony Reason.
“I think we looked a little out of sync in the first half,” said MSU head coach Tom Izzo of the early struggles. “Gonzaga went for a lot of loose balls and we were having trouble getting back on defense. I don’t think we really knew how fast they can get back in transition on either side of the floor.”
But Izzo said he was much more pleased with how MSU bounced back after its poor play.
“In the second half, give our team credit, we came out and played awfully hard, we pounded the ball inside and forced some turnovers,” Izzo said.
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, who called the game “a battle of two champions,” said the Spartans have as good a chance as any to win another title.
“MSU is on an elite level and this game proved it,” Few said. “They deserve to be considered national champions until someone knocks them off.”
The Spartans will next face Temple in the South Regional Final at 2:40 p.m. Sunday in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.
