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Gonzaga does it again

The No. 12-seeded Zags edge Virginia on (sound familiar, UF fans?) a Casey Calvary putback.

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 17, 2001

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Gonzaga is causing trouble for the big guys again.

Casey Calvary put back a blocked shot with 9.2 seconds left to give the 12th-seeded Zags an 86-85 win over No. 5 Virginia in the South Region on Friday.

After barely missing the Final Four in 1999 and reaching the region semifinals last year, Gonzaga doesn't sneak up on anybody. In the past two years, it knocked out second-seeded teams in the second round.

"We weren't crazy about playing them," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "They are much better than a 12 seed. It's not the committee's fault. They hadn't seen Gonzaga. These guys are tremendous."

Dan Dickau, a junior point guard who sat out last season after transferring from Washington, scored 29 points and took the shot that Calvary grabbed and put in for the winner.

"I had it in my mind to drive, and I was either going to make it or Casey was going to scoop up the rebound," Dickau said. "I'm sure you all remember when Casey got Quentin Hall's rebound and scored (to beat Florida in the 1999 tournament). Hey, thanks, Case."

Dickau scored 21 of his points in the first half and finished 9-of-19 from the field and 6-for-9 on three-pointers.

"Dickau was hitting shots. Loose balls, they'd go get them, he'd have them. Bang! Three! He'd be way out, shoot a scud, hit the rim, hit the backboard, go in. He was on fire," Gillen said.

Gonzaga led by 13 in the second half, but Virginia cut it to 82-80 on Roger Mason Jr.'s three-pointer with 3:25 left.

Mason hit another three-pointer two minutes later to give Virginia its first lead at 85-84 with 1:28 left. Freshman J.C. Mathis, a 49 percent free throw shooter, missed with 21.4 seconds left, giving Gonzaga another chance.

Adam Hall blocked Dickau's shot, but Calvary grabbed the rebound and put it in for the one-point edge.

"I wanted to get in the middle of the lane and get up a shot. I was either going to make it or I knew (Calvary) was going to pick up the scraps and put it in," Dickau said.

Mason missed on a drive as time expired as players scrambled for the loose ball.

Mason had a career-high 30 for Virginia and Donald Hand had 14.

INDIANA ST. 70, OKLAHOMA 68 (OT): Kelyn Block's reward for leading Indiana State to a first-round upset was an emergency trip to the dentist.

The junior had three teeth either knocked out or chipped late in regulation, then found a way to help the 13th-seeded Sycamores beat No. 4 Oklahoma.

Block scored five of his 17 points in overtime after he dramatically returned from the locker room just before the extra period.

"He's on his way to the oral surgeon," coach Royce Waltman said. "I had said yesterday about how tough I thought Oklahoma was. We said our only opportunity to win was to display some toughness of our own and we did that."

It was Indiana State's first tournament victory since Larry Bird led the team to the 1979 championship game.

Matt Renn scored 16 points over the final 141/2 minutes of regulation as the Sycamores rallied from a 47-34 deficit. Oklahoma's Hollis Price forced overtime on a drive with 19 seconds left.

Block, cheered by Indiana State fans as he ran in from the locker room, gave the Sycamores a quick lead in the overtime with a steal and layup. Marcus Howard gave them the lead for good at 65-63 on a drive with 3:19 left and Block's drive with 1:44 left made it 68-65.

"That was a huge lift," Indiana State point guard Michael Menser said of Block's return. "The first play he got the steal and the layup. You could see with his teeth out he was in a lot of pain. He's a tough kid."

MICHIGAN ST. 69, ALABAMA ST. 35: After a poor first half, Jason Richardson and Andre Hutson got the defending national champion Spartans rolling.

"I think we were a little nervous because of all the upsets" Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.

Richardson scored 14 points and Hutson added 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Alabama State, winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference title, hung close to a sloppy and seemingly uninspired Michigan State team in the first half.

"They weren't afraid of anything," Izzo said of the Hornets, down 29-25 at halftime. "(They) had us on their heels. We got a few more rebounds and a few more stops and that was the difference."

Alabama State scored 10 points in the second half to match Wake Forest's record-setting first-half production Friday against Butler. It is the lowest-scoring half in the NCAA Tournament since the introduction of the shot clock in 1985-86.

"I thought we stayed on 32 points forever," Alabama State coach Rob Spivery said. "They played the second half like a national championship team."

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