Zags still unbeaten in Key after No. 3 Missouri falls

Moments before Gonzaga and Missouri took the floor yesterday at KeyArena, Zags assistant coach Bill Grier had a reminder for Blake Stepp, the standout guard.

"We've never lost in here," Grier whispered.

They still haven't. In an epic confrontation in front of 12,831 fans, most of them Gonzaga partisans, plus a CBS-television audience, the Zags persevered past third-ranked Missouri 87-80 in overtime.

It's a game that could help 17th-ranked Gonzaga (7-1) earn its way back to the Key, where it won its first two NCAA-tournament games in 1999. The building hosts first- and second-round NCAA games again in March, and don't think some people around Gonzaga don't know it.

"Wouldn't that be great?" Grier said.

Although Missouri (3-1) doesn't yet have the services of two players who will join the Tigers next week, this was a victory that likely will count significantly with the NCAA selection committee in March. Mizzou still had its two All-American candidates, Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding, as well as a deep reservoir of toughness and resilience.

"It was a ton like the Arizona game," said Stepp, remembering Gonzaga's 96-95 double-overtime loss to the Wildcats in the NCAA second round last year.

In that one, neither team ever led by more than eight points. In this, seven was the greatest margin.

Neither team would be punched out. Missouri led 38-35 at the half, but Gonzaga wedged out a 59-52 lead at the eight-minute timeout of the second half, when Mizzou coach Quin Snyder madly peeled off his suit coat in the Tigers' huddle and read a riot act. His team immediately clawed back with a 15-3 run with 3:40 left.

Then it was the Zags who countered with a weird three-basket possession to take the lead, and they had it all but won until center Ronny Turiaf missed a free throw with 24 seconds remaining and the Zags leading 73-70.

Having played mostly zone defense to that point, Gonzaga coach Mark Few ordered man-to-man, with ex-Washington forward Erroll Knight dogging the electric Paulding.

No matter. Paulding rifled in a three-pointer from the wing with 10 seconds left with Knight draped on him like shrink-wrap, and when Gonzaga turned it over, the battle raged on.

"I almost had my hand on his eyes," said Knight, an athletic match for Paulding. "He just elevated."

Asked if he felt any letdown at the sudden turnaround, Stepp said, "Maybe for about five seconds. You've just got to forget about it. We knew we had some advantages over them in overtime."

At that point, the Tigers had already lost big men Travon Bryant and Linas Kleiza to fouls, and later, guard Jimmy McKinney would also draw his fifth.

"No question this was a road game," Snyder said. "We've got to learn, I guess, to play hard-nosed and foul a little less, I guess."

Missouri hardly backed down in overtime. Josh Kroenke opened it with a three, and Paulding's trey made it 79-75, Mizzou. Paulding was only 4 for 18 in field goals at one point, but later was a huge matchup problem for the Zags and their zone.

"When he's hitting jump shots, he's really hard to guard, because he's so good off the dribble," said Grier.

But that would be Missouri's last basket. Turiaf, who had only two of his 23 points before the half, split four free throws with Stepp, tying it at 79 with 1:25 left.

McKinney gave the Tigers their last lead at 80-79 with a free throw, but Turiaf's whirling 6-foot jumper over Missouri sub Kevin Young put Gonzaga on top for good with 1:01 left.

Then came the game's biggest sequence. Penetrating, Paulding missed a dunk with 42 seconds showing as Turiaf, who had four fouls, tried to take a charge. There was no whistle then, but after McKinney rebounded and attacked the basket, he was called for charging with 36 seconds left.

"Our guys were all fouling out," said Snyder, the Mercer Island product.

Gonzaga finally locked it up with the final six free throws of 10 straight, completing a 12-1 run. Missouri, after its two threes to open the overtime, missed its final seven shots.

Missouri cracked the Zags' defense for 10 treys on 26 attempts and hurt Gonzaga with 18 offensive rebounds.

At the other end, the Tigers' man-to-man defense did an excellent job denying Stepp perimeter looks. He got only eight shots but still threatened a triple-double, with 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Missing a lot of good looks in the first half, Gonzaga got a big lift from freshman forward Adam Morrison, who finished with 17 points and six rebounds.

"Adam doesn't play like a freshman," Few said. "He seems like he's 30."

In the middle of Missouri's 15-3 run down the stretch in regulation, Few got a rare technical foul, arguing that Stepp's layup was goaltended by the Tigers. But it cost the Zags only two points.

"I wasn't cursing, I just jumped too high," Few said. "I was too demonstrative. I told (the Zags) it was on me. I'm proud how they responded."

Few said he knew what his team was in for when he saw some of the controversy-plagued Tigers in the hotel lobby in the morning. Missouri is under NCAA investigation.

"They had that look," he said. "I knew they'd come out like that."

The crowd came up short of a regular-season record of 13,000 for college basketball in Seattle, after promoter John Hines said Friday he believed some 14,000 to 15,000 tickets had been sold.

"I'm shocked," Hines said of the turnstile count.

It might have been the only thing that didn't meet expectations yesterday.

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

Percentages: FG: .342, FT: .615. Three-point goals: 10-26 (Bryant 1-1, McKinney 0-3, Kroenke 3-6, Paulding 5-13, Gardner 0-1, Kleiza 1-2). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 4 (Bryant 2, Johnson 1, Kleiza 1). Turnovers: 17 (Paulding 4, Bryant 2, Johnson 2, McKinney 2, Kroenke 2, Laurie 2, Gardner 1, Kleiza 1). Steals: 7 (Paulding 4, Johnson 1, McKinney 1, Kroenke 1). Technical fouls: (none).

Percentages: FG: .467, FT: .725. Three-point goals: 2-11 (Violette 0-1, Skinner 0-2, Stepp 1-3, Bankhead 1-3, Morrison 0-2). Team rebounds: 2. Blocked shots: 5 (Turiaf 2, Violette 2, Morrison 1). Turnovers: 16. (Stepp 4, Violette 3, Turiaf 2, Skinner 2, Knight 2). Steals: 8 (Bankhead 3, Violette 2, Knight 2). Technical fouls: (Gonzaga bench).

Attendance: 12,831. Officials: Mark Whitehead, John Higgins, Rick Batsell.