Drew Timme evokes Gonzaga, leads second-half comeback to take down Memphis

PORTLAND, Oregon — After a primary half through which the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs fell behind the No. 9 seed Memphis Tigers 41-31 Saturday in an NCAA match males’s basketball second-round matchup, main scorer Drew Timme took it upon himself to set the tone for a second-half comeback.

First, Timme delivered a motivational message within the hallway earlier than his staff returned to the courtroom, one he cleaned up in a postgame interview with CBS reporter Andy Katz and summarized as “I do not give a flying F what occurs on the finish of the sport, whether or not we lose or win, we’re not going out as no … tender guys.”

Then Timme adopted up his phrases with manufacturing as Gonzaga rallied for an 82-78 win, advancing to the Candy 16 for the seventh consecutive NCAA match — a streak that is without doubt one of the 4 longest in match historical past, joined by two from Duke beneath Mike Krzyzewski (9 and 7, respectively) and a report 13 consecutive Candy 16s for North Carolina from 1981 to 1993 with coach Dean Smith.

After Memphis opened the second half with a bucket to increase the result in 12, Timme scored the sport’s subsequent seven factors. General, he scored 14 of the Zags’ 16 factors in a stretch once they minimize the deficit to 2, making a 3-pointer and hitting from quite a lot of troublesome angles.

“It appeared like he obtained each offensive rebound, each foul, each bucket for them consecutively,” Tigers coach Penny Hardaway stated. “We have witnessed it from the TV a bunch, simply watching him be that dominant, and to see it in individual … he made some incredible photographs. Nice protection and he nonetheless made them. That is why he’s who he’s.”

For his half, Timme would like to not want second-half heroics.

“I wish to cease doing that,” he stated. “I wish to do a greater job within the first half as a result of that is not a recipe to go far and win loads of video games.”

“I feel generally he likes to really feel his method into these video games,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few stated.

It was a second consecutive gradual begin for the Zags in Portland. Going through No. 16 seed Georgia State in Thursday’s opening-round sport, the Bulldogs led by simply two at halftime earlier than turning the sport right into a rout with a 21-Zero second-half run. Timme had a team-high 10 factors within the first half of that sport however shot 3-of-7 from the sector and missed 5 of his 9 free throw makes an attempt.

On Saturday, Timme was even quieter within the first half, scoring simply 4 factors on 1-of-Three capturing and 2-of-Four on free throws. Going through a proficient Memphis staff that had received 13 of its earlier 15 video games after a 9-Eight begin, Gonzaga did not have the identical sort of margin for error this time.

Though the Zags had been 0-Three to date this season when trailing at halftime, Few did not ship a fiery halftime speech.

“I do not assume I used to be screaming and yelling,” Few stated, “however I used to be considerably mildly agitated that we had been enjoying ‘tender,’ in order that wasn’t an unique thought by Drew.”

“It was reiterated,” chimed in Timme.

In any case, Few had purpose for confidence. Gonzaga confronted quite a lot of obstacles throughout final yr’s undefeated run up by the nationwide championship sport, the place the staff was lastly defeated by the Baylor Bears.

“These guys are battle examined,” Few stated, referring to upperclassmen Timme and guard Andrew Nembhard. “These two have been by every little thing.”

On the opposing sideline, Hardaway acknowledged what occurred to his staff within the second half.

“They went to the championship stage,” he stated. “We had been the extra aggressive staff within the first half. We sort of shocked them, took their confidence. I knew popping out after halftime that they had been going to make an adjustment as a result of they’re an incredible staff they usually did. They needed to make photographs they usually needed to get stops they usually did each methods.”

Regardless of the Timme-led surge, the Tigers nonetheless stayed within the sport till the closing seconds. A 3-pointer by Lester Quinones pulled Memphis inside two at 78-76, and two free throws from Landers Nolley II once more produced a two-point sport with a bit over six seconds remaining.

Each occasions, Nembhard made a pair of free throws, stopping the Tigers from ever having a chance to tie the rating or take the lead — no assure on an evening when the Zags shot 13-of-24 (52%) from the foul line, following up a 16-of-30 (53%) efficiency on Thursday.

“For him to step up and hit these free throws when actually all people else on our staff was smoking them was in all probability probably the most spectacular factor of the night time if you happen to ask me,” Few stated.

From the opposite facet, Hardaway was actually impressed by Timme.

“We perceive that we had been the underdog and we had been going to should struggle these guys and went into halftime up 10 and obtained it to 12 after which the Drew Timme impact got here into play,” Hardaway stated. “He made some powerful photographs, managed the sport, obtained our guys in foul bother and the remaining is historical past.”