By Lauren Gustus
Sports Editor
In a wild WCC championship game, the Zags’ Dan Dickau could have put the ball in a basket on Mars in the second half, when he made eight straight field goals to help the Bulldogs pull away from the Waves. Gonzaga, 29-3, won the tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
If it weren’t for the hot hand of the Bulldogs’ first-team All-American, who had 27 points on the evening and earned tournament MVP, the Waves might have pulled off the upset of the tournament in San Diego.
Pepperdine led by one at the half, 45-44, after a genuine group effort that featured contributions from starters Devin Montgomery and Boomer Brazzle and reserves Will Kimble and Michael Westphal. It was the first time the Waves had led at halftime but not at the final buzzer.
The Waves led by as many as seven with 12:53 left to play, after a three-point play by Devin Montgomery. But a combined effort by Dickau and off-guard Blake Stepp, who had 24 points, put Gonzaga up 70-67 with 7:35 left in the game.
The Waves played catch-up for the rest of the night, and very nearly pulled even at the end.
The determined Waves pulled within five, at 92-87, after two free throws by Montgomery with 49 seconds left. The Zags returned the favor, and their lead shot back up to seven.
A free throw by Craig Lewis with four seconds left brought the Waves within four, 94-90, but time ran out on Pepperdine’s championship hopes.
The game was not without controversy, as the second half saw both coaches marching up and down the sidelines alternately screaming at and cajoling the referees.
Late in the second half, a phantom elbow inflicted by Pepperdine’s Jimmy Miggins sent Dickau to the ground.
A melee almost ensued on the court after, as all members of the Waves’ bench shot out of their seats to join the potential conflict out on the parquet.
Fortunately, the cooler heads of Lewis and Michael Westphal calmed things down before things got out of hand and play ensued after Dickau made both free throws.
When the buzzer sounded, Gonzaga walked off the court with a 96-90 win, a WCC Championship and an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.
Bolstered by its strong play in the tournament, and a No. 4-strength of schedule rating, Pepperdine earned an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region.
Westphal shares NABC district 15 “Coach of the Year” honor with Bibby
Pepperdine men’s basketball head coach Paul Westphal was selected the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 15. “Co-Coach of the Year” along with USC’’s frontman Henry Bibby.
Voted on by district coaches, the award seeks to recognize the coaches who have shown exemplary skill in teaching and guiding their student-athletes to meet and exceed their potential.
Other winners of District “Coach of the Year” honors included Jim Harrick of Georgia, Bob Knight of Texas Tech and Roy Williams of Kansas.
The NABC All-District coaches are now eligible to be named the 2001-02 National “Coach of the Year” at the Guardians of the Game Awards Presentation on March 31 in Atlanta.
WCC Tournament highlights
GAME 1
Pepperdine 77, Portland 64
Junior guard Devin Montgomery had 17 points to pace the Waves as they faced a strong challenge from the last-place Pilots in the first game of the tournament. Bad shooting by both teams helped the Pilots to hang in the game, and they led by as many as seven with 7:30 left to play in the first half.
Portland guard Casey Frandsen had 20 points, and made things difficult in the early going for the Waves.
A late rally in the first half, capped off by a buzzer-beater three from guard Michael Westphal, enabled Pepperdine to head for the locker room with a 10-point lead at the half.
The Pilots fought hard to stay in the game in the second half, and pulled within five with 5:51 left in the contest.
GAME 2
Pepperdine 68, St. Mary’s 47
In a game that was certainly more fun for the Waves than the Gaels, Pepperdine eliminated St. Mary’s from the WCC Tournamentin a 68-47 victory.
Jimmy Miggins led the Waves in a low-scoring affair — he had 12 points on the day.
Gary Colbert and Will Kimble each had 11 for Pepperdine. Head coach Paul Westphal got everyone into the game against St. Mary’s, as the Waves improved to 22-7.
March 14, 2002