Men's Basketball | Gonzaga hits a high note in 74-52 defeat of Washington State

PULLMAN — And to think, the people wearing crimson thought their suffering ended with football season.

The pain only intensified here Wednesday night, only it was different. WSU fans have come to expect so much of their basketball program — 52-17 in coach Tony Bennett's first two years — that this was a different breed of comeuppance.

Gonzaga applied it mercilessly, an undefeated club that for the last 25 minutes, played like a team shortchanged by a No. 4 national ranking. The Zags blistered the Cougars, 74-52, before 10,894 at Friel Court, WSU's worst loss in 2 ½ years.

Earlier this week, Gonzaga coach Mark Few went the self-effacing route, expressing surprise that people were "writing songs" about his team, now 7-0. Well, expect a few more mellifluous verses after this performance, which gave further credence to the idea that this is a team that aims to play deep into the NCAA bracket.

How good are the Zags?

"As good as everyone says we are," said center Josh Heytvelt matter-of-factly after a game-high 22 points.

Good enough, at least, to have put a crackling 27-2 run on the helpless Cougars after Aron Baynes had scored the first basket of the second half to make it a 32-31 game for the Zags.

What happened then took the home faithful back to the adolescent moments of the Dick Bennett program. When they looked up after a sea of Zags lob passes, WSU turnovers and blown defensive assignments, it was 59-33.

For sheer shock value, it was remarkable, probably worse than a 21-point loss to North Carolina that ousted the Cougars from the Sweet 16 last March. Twice Gonzaga mounted 32-point leads; the Zags were only a few points' favorite by the oddsmakers.

"We lost our way," lamented Tony Bennett. "Everything we value, we didn't do."

Two first-half plays told you everything you needed to know. Taylor Rochestie, a good point guard struggling in the role of directing a reshaped team, hit a 13-foot jumper after missing his first four shots and cast up his arms as if in wonder. Rochestie had been shooting only 35 percent coming in.

Late in the half, the Zags' prize sophomore, Austin Daye, eyed a one-on-one matchup with Daven Harmeling of the Cougars. Harmeling is the ultimate try-hard overachiever. Daye is a guy one NBA draft service has projected as the No. 1 pick when he departs college.

Daye turned Harmeling around with a drive to the baseline and scored.

Still, it was only a three-point game at the half. Then Gonzaga began getting busy. The Zags turned up the full-court pressure and guard Jeremy Pargo drove, hit a three and converted a turnover into a lob to Daye, and Gonzaga led, 41-31.

"We want [Pargo] attacking," Few said. "He's attacking so much more intelligently this year."

Pargo had a lot more help than Rochestie. But Pargo went 5 of 7 for 11 points with 10 assists and a turnover. Remarkably, Rochestie played 33 minutes without an assist, went 2 of 11 and had three turnovers.

"I think I played pretty selfish basketball tonight," said Rochestie. "We were pretty disrespectful to our coaching staff and the system they implemented. We didn't play with the right kind of juice we're taught every day in practice.

"We're down about that more than the score."

The Cougars were a defensive mess in the second half. And on offense, it's apparent they go for stretches forgetting they have a bullish 6-foot-10 center, Baynes, who can do damage inside. He was 3 of 3 and had four free throws while the Cougars were casting up 19 three-pointers, hitting two.

"We could have made the game easy," said Rochestie. "Baynes is a big post presence inside."

Few credited Heytvelt's length and defense on Baynes. Heytvelt said he sensed the Cougars weren't looking enough for the big guy.

For its part, WSU (6-3) has been shorn of confidence in losses to Pitt, Baylor and the Zags. Bennett fairly erupted at the notion that it might cause players to hang heads.

"These guys are on scholarships," he bristled. "Everything is taken care of. They better look inside and say, 'What do I need to do to get better?'

"It wasn't a matter of effort, but we need to get some leadership from the right guys and it's got to start soon."

Hard to say what the Zags need to do to get better, other than not letting their heads into the clouds. They're excited about their newfound defensive edge, especially what they showed in the first 12 minutes after the break.

"Our defensive efficiency was off the charts; it was below .50 [points per possession]," Few said. "That stretch of basketball the first 12 minutes after the half was as good as we've played in awhile."

Good enough, almost, to put to music. Get used to it, Zags.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com

GONZAGA 74
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Daye	27	5-10	2-2	0-5	0	2	14
Heytvelt	24	9-18	1-1	1-3	0	3	22
Pargo	25	5-7	0-0	0-2	10	3	11
Bouldin	29	3-6	2-2	1-7	1	0	8
Downs	22	2-8	0-0	1-5	1	4	6
Goodson	16	1-2	0-0	1-2	2	2	2
Sorenson	2	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Sacre	10	1-1	0-0	1-2	0	1	2
Gray	30	3-6	1-2	2-5	0	1	9
Brown	15	0-2	0-0	0-2	0	3	0
	200	29-61	6-7	7-35	14	19	74

Percentages: FG .475, FT .857. Three-point goals: 10-23, .435 (Heytvelt 3-7, Daye 2-4, Downs 2-4, Gray 2-4, Pargo 1-2, Bouldin 0-1, Sorenson 0-1). Team rebounds: 2. Blocked shots: 4 (Daye 2, Gray, Pargo). Turnovers: 8 (Daye 2, Brown 2, Goodson, Pargo, Heytvelt, Downs). Steals: 7 (Heytvelt 3, Goodson, Daye, Pargo, Bouldin). Technical fouls: None.

WASHINGTON ST. 52
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Harmeling	29	2-8	0-0	0-0	0	2	5
Baynes	25	3-3	4-5	1-2	0	1	10
Thompson	26	2-9	0-0	0-8	1	0	4
Koprivica	28	1-5	1-2	0-5	3	0	4
Rochestie	33	2-11	2-2	0-3	0	1	6
Capers	7	1-3	2-2	0-2	1	1	4
Harthun	2	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Lodwick	7	0-2	0-0	0-1	0	1	0
Casto	15	3-5	4-5	3-4	0	1	10
Enquist	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Forrest	26	3-5	3-3	2-4	0	3	9
	200	17-52	16-19	8-33	5	10	52

Percentages: FG .327, FT .842. Three-point goals: 2-19, .105 (Koprivica 1-4, Harmeling 1-6, Lodwick 0-1, Capers 0-1, Thompson 0-2, Rochestie 0-5). Team rebounds: 4. Blocked shots: 6 (Baynes 2, Casto 2, Koprivica, Forrest). Turnovers: 14 (Thompson 6, Rochestie 3, Koprivica 2, Baynes 2). Steals: 1 (Casto). Technical fouls: None.

Gonzaga	32	42	—	74
Washington St.	29	23	—	52

Attendance: 10,894. Officials: Scott Thornely, Mike Littlewood, Bill Kennedy.