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AUBURN 68, WAKE FOREST 62: Tigers answer critics with upset of No. 2 seed.
By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 24, 2003
TAMPA -- Auburn star senior forward Marquis Daniels never fidgeted on the bench as foul trouble reduced him to spectator at seemingly the most crucial time.
So what if the underdog Tigers trailed No.2-seeded Wake Forest by a basket and could have used their leading scorer in Sunday afternoon's second-round game?
So what if a spot in the Sweet 16 was on the line?
"I have full confidence in the guys on our team," Daniels said. "Every one's here for a reason. There's been times I've been out or haven't had good games and everyone's stepped up."
They did again.
After Daniels picked up his fourth foul with 9:24 left and went to the bench with the 10th-seeded Tigers down 48-46, sophomore guards Nathan Watson, Lewis Monroe and Brandon Robinson and sophomore forward Marco Killingsworth keyed an 11-3 run that helped carry them to a 68-62 upset in front of 21,304 at the St. Pete Times Forum.
The Tigers (22-11), whose worthiness for at-large consideration had been questioned, even after beating No.7 Saint Joseph's in overtime Friday, play No.3 Syracuse in the East Region semifinals in Albany, N.Y. It will be their fourth Sweet 16 trip (1985, 1986, 1999).
"They're all special," said Auburn coach Cliff Ellis, who will be making his third Sweet 16 appearance, second with the Tigers. "This team probably had more odds against it."
Not to mention the Atlantic Coast Conference champion Demon Deacons (25-6) sitting in their path.
Thanks to the perimeter shooting of reserve freshman guard Justin Gray, the Deacons led by as many as nine points several times in the first half but couldn't pull away.
It didn't help that foul-prone freshman center Eric Williams, coming off a career-high 20 points in Friday's hard-fought 76-73 win against East Tennessee State, had as many fouls as points and was a virtual nonfactor. He played 10 minutes.
"He gives us (offensive) balance," coach Skip Prosser said. "In the second half we were a jump-shooting team, and we've gotten away with that at times, but not tonight."
Give credit to the Tigers defense, which held the Demon Deacons to 36.7 percent shooting (26.9 percent and 24 points in the second half). That began with senior guard Derrick Bird. He drew the assignment on senior forward Josh Howard, the ACC player of the year.
"Derrick Bird is an All-American defensive player," Ellis said. "I don't care who's out there. This guy is going to guard you. ... He brings his heart and soul and body to the table every time out."
Howard, in a slump the past few games and seemingly pressing to try to carry his team, hit 4 of 10 shots for 14 points. He also committed a game-high seven turnovers.
"I just wanted to get up into him and keep him off the glass," Bird said. "I just wanted to front him in the post and try to do my best to stay in him and get him a little frustrated. And it just worked out."
Yet a Howard offensive rebound and layup gave struggling Wake Forest a 48-44 lead. A few moments after Killingsworth hit a jumper that brought Auburn back within a basket, Daniels charged into Trent Strickland to earn his fourth foul and a trip to the bench.
"It wasn't like, 'Here he goes with his fourth ... "' Prosser said.
Watson scored on a followup layup to tie the score for the first time at 48 with 8:40 left. Gray answered with a free throw, but Monroe swished a 3-pointer for Auburn's first lead, 51-49.
"The coaches were stressing to me all along to be more aggressive," Monroe said. "That's what I was trying to bring to the table."
After Howard tied it on two free throws, Killingsworth and Monroe made two free throws each and Robinson scored on a reverse layup for a 57-51 lead with 4:32 left.
"They had guys who stepped up and made big shots and big plays," Howard said. "Guys have to step up if they want their team to win."
"I've been talking about how this team is a team that really is going to dig in no matter what the circumstances are," Ellis said. "We made the run with Marquis Daniels over there with us. I thought our young players really stood out there. Monroe, Watson, Robinson, Killingsworth, (Kyle) Davis, those guys really played extremely well. I thought they grew up a lot. ... They really did a great job. They played a great game down the stretch without Marquis on the court."
Gray, who finished with 26 points, hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 57-54, but Daniels returned and scored his team's next seven to seal the win.
No need to fidget.