Gonzaga’s press, smooth second-half offense made Houston work to final buzzer

WICHITA, Kan. – Houston had a problem.

The top-seeded Cougars were consistently scoring points most of the second half, but their top-ranked defense was unable to stop Graham Ike and Gonzaga’s offense.

So instead of game over, Gonzaga was still in the picture, even after a J’Wan Roberts field goal with 4 minutes, 29 seconds left gave Houston a 76-65 lead.

About 90 seconds later, Michael Ajayi subbed in and Gonzaga employed its full-court ‘13’ press. Houston’s red-hot offense slowed to a crawl.

“I know we needed a spark,” Ajayi said. “We got in ‘13’ and they had a little trouble. We were flying around and got a couple turnovers. Shout out to ‘KB’ (Khalif Battle), Emmanuel (Innocenti) and Graham. We all fought hard at the end.”

The Cougars missed their last five shots and turned it over twice. The Zags scored 10 of the next 11 points and Houston’s lead melted to 77-76 with 21 seconds remaining.

LJ Cryer hit a pair of free throws and Gonzaga’s final play broke down as Ja’Vier Francis smothered Battle’s 3-point attempt from the corner. Milos Uzan sealed an 81-76 win and Houston’s sixth straight Sweet 16 with two free throws.

“Emmanuel is a rugged, physical defender. I knew in a game like this you need Emmanuel to play a lot of minutes,” Zags coach Mark Few said. “Mike was spectacular, especially when we got down under that three-minute mark. We wanted to go to our 1-3-1 trap. He’s been great in that all year. Obviously that helped us claw back into it right there at the end.”

Gonzaga’s press and 49-point second half, fueled by 23 of Ike’s 27 points, turned what looked like a double-digit loss into a nail-biter.

“I still thought we were going to win that game, the delusion in me,” GU senior forward Ben Gregg said. “That group at the end with Mike and Emanuel getting stops was big time. Just shows the heart that we all have. We weren’t going to go down without a fight. That’s who we’ve been all year.”

Some numbers to chew on: Ike’s 27 points was the most by an individual against Houston this season, eclipsing Arizona State’s Alston Mason’s 26.

The Cougars entered the game No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (57.9 points) and held SIU-Edwardsville to 40 in a first-round blowout. GU’s 49-point half was the most Houston yielded in a half, topping Auburn’s 46.

Gonzaga’s 76 points is the fourth highest against Houston this year. Kansas scored 86 in a double-overtime loss to the Cougars. Alabama beat Houston 85-80 in overtime Texas Tech edged the Cougars 82-81 in overtime – Houston’s lone Big 12 Conference loss.

“I definitely didn’t want the season to end,” Ike said of his second-half performance. “It’s a special group I’ve been able to play with these past two years. It’s just tough to see it come to an end. Credit to Houston. They played hard at both ends of the floor, especially the defensive end.”

The problem was defensive stops for the Zags were few and far between in the first 15-plus minutes of the second half. Houston fifth-year senior guard LJ Cryer stung GU with four 3-pointers and 16 first-half points. He was scoreless in the second half before pouring in 14 points in the final nine minutes.

Add in Roberts’ 18 points, Emanuel Sharp’s 12, and Joseph Tugler’s 10 and the Cougars had one of the more productive scoring games of the season. Houston outscored GU 32-30 in paint points, partly due to relentless effort on the offensive boards.

“They were scoring at will for the majority of the game,” Battle said. “We had a great game plan but a lot of guys we didn’t expect to score stepped up big time and made big shots.”

Slow start, uphill climb

Gonzaga threw the first punch against Georgia on Thursday, sprinting to a 27-3 lead that set the tone in an 89-68 victory. The Zags were on the receiving end of an early Houston haymaker.

GU had three early turnovers, trailed 10-2 at the first media timeout and by double digits (19-8) before the midpoint of the first half. Houston twice held 14-point leads before the Zags rallied late in the half.

“Their defense is crazy,” Battle said. “Once we settled down and slowed down we were playing our kind of basketball. Give them credit, they sped us up a little bit and of course we wish could have those first four minutes back.”

“Especially against a team like that,” Gregg said, “once they get that lead they’re not going to let go of it with their defense and the way they get stops. If we had 30 more seconds at the end, we would have come out with a ‘W.’ Time ran out on us.”