SEATTLE – Even without the usual superlative contributions from their two biggest guns, the Gonzaga Bulldogs had little trouble with Valparaiso Thursday night.
The second-seeded Bulldogs got ample help from plenty of other sources to beat the No. 15 Crusaders 76-49 in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at KeyArena.
Gonzaga’s all-West Coast Conference guard, Blake Stepp, slogged through a dismal shooting night (he was 0-for-6 from the floor in the first half, all but one a 3-point attempt). He did, however, come up with nine assists for the game and finished with 13 points on 2-for-11 shooting.
Stepp was 1-for-9 from 3-point range, but was excellent as a floor leader.
“That’s about as bad a night shooting as I’ve had all year,” Stepp said, “but we have so many guys who can score that it’s not even that important sometimes. Even if I’m not shooting the ball well, if I’m getting the ball to them, it turns out to be a pretty good game.”
Ronny Turiaf, the Bulldogs’ all-conference post, suffered from a breakout of fouls and had only a point and a rebound to show for his 10 minutes of work in the first half. Turiaf woke up in the second half and finished with a game-high 15 points and four rebounds.
Role players Steppd to the forefront for the Bulldogs (28-2), who face 10th-seeded Nevada Saturday at KeyArena in the second round. The Wolfpack (24-8) upset seventh-seed Michigan State (18-12) 72-66 earlier in the day.
More than anything, it was Gonzaga’s deep bench that made Alpo out of Valpo (18-13), especially when the game still was relatively competitive in the first half. Adam Morrison, Tony Skinner and Sean Mallon combined for 17 first-half points on 8-for-11 shooting.
Starting guard Erroll Knight, a University of Washington transfer, also made a heavy first-half impact. Knight’s two back-to-back fast-break dunks off turnovers capped a 12-2 Bulldog run for a 31-18 advantage three minutes before intermission.
“The strength of this team is in its versatility,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “Each piece of the puzzle bungs something different. If you saw what Erroll brought tonight, then you get a (Tony) Skinner who can shoot deep and rebound and then come with Morrison, and who knows what Adam brings?”
Although the Crusaders made a brief run early in the first half to trail 38-31, the Bulldogs scored the next six points of the game and were never seriously threatened after that.
Gonzaga’s lead eventually grew to 20 points with four minutes left. The 27-point margin at the end was the game’s largest.
“They’re just very mobile up and down the floor,” Valpo coach Homer Drew said. “They’re deep, they’ve got the seniors. I wish that they do well. I hope they win it the whole way, because it will make us feel good that we lost to a national champion.”
Valpo took advantage of a slow start by the Bulldogs, who found themselves trailing 10-3 2 1/2 minutes in. But once the Bulldogs denied the Crusaders good looks at 3-pointers, they were able to chip away.
Cory Violette slammed with 12:30 left in the half to give Gonzaga its first lead, 13-12. The Crusaders never led after that.
Violette added 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Morrison had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Joaquin Gomes led the Crusaders with 13 points. Jimmie Miles added 12 points.
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