Morrison leads Zags over Broncos

By Jeremy Herb

Bronco fans packed in the Leavey Center Monday hoping to see the Broncos accomplish what few have done this season: stop Adam Morrison.

But while Santa Clara kept up with Gonzaga for most of the game, they ultimately could not stop the 'stache.

Adam Morrison and his infamous moustache dazzled the Bronco faithful with his arsenal of moves, scoring 34 points and leading Gonzaga (12-3 overall, 2-0 WCC) to an 81-68 victory over the Broncos (8-6, 1-1).

The Zags' victory also snapped Santa Clara's three-game winning streak. Gonzaga has now beaten the Broncos in 11 straight, dating back to 2001.

Senior forward Travis Niesen scored 22 points for the Broncos, leading the unsuccessful effort to knock off the No. 6-ranked team in the nation. Sophomore guard Brody Angley added 14 and sophomore forward Mitch Henke scored 12.

"They've got five guys," Niesen said. "You can't just take away Morrison."

The sold-out crowd of approximately 4,500 greeted Morrison with a chorus of boos as soon as the Gonzaga forward took the floor. The pep band had a giant cardboard mustache to taunt Morrison whenever he neared their end.

"I think it's funny," Morrison said of the constant heckling. "You can see me laughing out there."

Morrison is used to the extra attention wherever he goes. He calmly shot 12 for 20 from the floor against the Broncos and made eight of his nine free throws. The performance is typical for him, as Morrison leads the NCAA in scoring, averaging 28 points per game.

The Broncos began the game by missing their first eight shots from the field and quickly fell behind 9-3.

They didn't let their early shooting difficulties turn the game into a rout, keeping the Zags off the scoreboard as best they could.

Sophomore forward Mitch Henke then hit a three-pointer with 9:54 left in the first half to put the Broncos ahead 19-16 with their first lead of the game.

Gonzaga did not let the Broncos enjoy the lead for long, as the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to retake the lead, and Gonzaga had a five-point cushion at halftime.

Santa Clara never came any closer the rest of the way, trading baskets with the Bulldogs but never putting together a run that posed a serious threat as Morrison's shots kept falling.

"He's a great player," said freshman center John Bryant. "If anybody can make those kind of shots, it's him. He's the nation's leading scorer, so he's going to get his points no matter what. It's just how you can limit the other players."

Santa Clara held Bulldogs center J.P. Batista scoreless in the first half, but he scored 11 in the second half as the Zags pulled away.

Bryant was held to a single point in only 13 minutes of action for the Broncos after picking up two early fouls. Even though he did not help offensively, he made his presence felt in the paint despite his limited minutes.

"We were close the whole game," Bryant said. "At the end, it just got away from us, but that is the best team we're going to face in the league and we can take that into the next game."

Santa Clara faces off against San Diego at 7 p.m. Monday in San Diego.

Contact Jeremy Herb at (408) 551-1918 or jmherb@scu.edu.