Salt Lake City – Fourth-seeded Boston College must have figured that its plow horse, 6-foot-7, 250-pound Craig Smith, would be called upon to score crucial points to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
Boston College couldn’t have anticipated that Smith’s heroics would come from his soft touch at the free-throw line. Or that the senior forward would be needed to save the day in a first-round game against 13th-seeded Pacific.
The heavily favored Eagles (27-7) survived with an 88-76 double-overtime victory Thursday thanks to Smith’s steely composure at the line. A 65.6 percent free-throw shooter entering the game, Smith took a deep breath before hitting two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining in the first overtime to extend the game.
Smith said he thought about a pregame pep talk from his mother when he stepped to the line.
“She told me that when put in this situation, nothing else matters,” said Smith, who finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds. “She knows that I can do it. She told me to just have faith in God.”
During the first overtime, it appeared Boston College might need a prayer. Pacific (24-8), the Big West Conference champion, led 71-65 with 2:58 left after the second of consecutive 3-pointers by senior guard Mike Webb.
Pacific players lifted fingers into the air, but it was too early to celebrate. BC clawed back, and after a timeout with 12.2 seconds left, Smith was fouled by Pacific’s star forward, Christian Maraker. Smith drew contact as he lunged forward with a short turnaround shot in the lane.
“You don’t see that call much in the college game; he (Smith) initiated the contact,” Pacific coach Bob Thomason said.
Smith’s two free throws gave Boston College new life, and renewed energy. In the end, its power prevailed in the second extra period.
GONZAGA 79, XAVIER 75:
Third-seeded Gonzaga overcame a four-point deficit in the final three minutes to hold off an upset bid by No. 14 seed Xavier.
Or as Xavier coach Sean Miller said, All-American Adam Morrison overcame a four-point deficit.
Morrison scored 35 points and made key plays down the stretch. He fed teammate J.P. Batista for a layup with 2:30 remaining to pull Gonzaga to within two points at 71-69.
Then Morrison nailed a 3-pointer from NBA distance with 1:58 to go to give Gonzaga the lead.
“I don’t think I’ve ever coached against a player as talented and as nasty and relentless as he is – and I mean that in a good way,” Miller said of Morrison. “He puts so much pressure on a team at the end.”
“We have a saying at Gonzaga: Keep sawing wood,” Morrison said.
INDIANA 87,
SAN DIEGO STATE 83
The Mike Davis era at Indiana lived to see another day when the sixth-seeded Hoosiers overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to claim a victory over 11th-seeded San Diego State.
Indiana (19-11) trailed 61-51 with 13:16 remaining. But after a 16-5 Hoosiers run, it was either team’s game to win or lose. A drive by Indiana’s Earl Calloway with 41.5 seconds left pulled the Hoosiers within 83-82.
After San Diego State’s Brandon Heath turned over the ball with 13.3 seconds to go, Robert Vaden swished a 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left for an 85-83 lead and what proved to be the winning points.
“We’ve been in a situation the last three weeks where if we lose, we probably don’t get in the (NCAA) Tournament; that helped us,” said Davis, who announced last month that he will step down after the season.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
