| | SPOKANE, Wash. -- March Madness ended Thursday in Spokane,
with reality striking on a chilly night when much of the city was
glued to the television set watching Gonzaga lose to Purdue.
Purdue's 75-66 win in a Sweet 16 game in Albuquerque put a
damper on the celebrations that have become common on campus after
NCAA tournament games.
Hundreds of students who crammed into the Crosby (as in Bing)
Student Center on Thursday evening rose to their feet in a standing
ovation as their heroes were vanquished on television.
"We're all really, really proud of our team," said Gina Bogath
of Seattle.
This was the second straight year that Gonzaga Fever swept this
Eastern Washington city. Last year the Bulldogs got all the way to
the Elite Eight. This time, Purdue's defense and offensive
rebounding were too much.
The crowd was electrified when Gonzaga jumped to an early lead.
There was a collective groan when a sports announcer said: "They
look less like Cinderella and more like Cindy Crawford."
Fans gobbled free pizza, popcorn, soft drinks, cookies, candy
and other staples of a college student diet. All three local
television network affiliates anchored their newscasts from the
student center, bathing the room in bright lights.
But energy seemed to seep out of the room as the first half wore
on and the Bulldogs kept missing shots. Gonzaga trailed 35-22 at
halftime.
"They'll come back, they always do," said Nate Williams of
Idaho Falls, Idaho, who was shirtless and had painted a big red and
blue "G" on his chest. Three friends had painted the other
letters to spell out Z-A-G-S.
"They look simple, but it's very complicated," Williams said
of the letters.
Gonzaga kept making scoring runs in the second half, and the
crowd would revive like a cardiac patient on "ER" each time the
Bulldogs' fortunes soared.
But each time the mood crashed as Purdue canned another shot or
grabbed another board.
Gonzaga closed to 61-53 late in the game, but it was their last
gasp.
Freshman Kristin Shafer of Spokane was dejected as the final
seconds ticked away.
"I was planning on going to Indianapolis," she said, of the
site of the Final Four. "We even had a rental car lined up."
Many in the crowd realized this was the last time they would see
Matt Santangelo, Richie Frahm and Axel Dench play in a Gonzaga
uniform.
But the game's final basket, a slam dunk by junior Casey
Calvary, was perhaps a harbinger of more heroics to come next
season.
"It was a great run," said Mike Butler of Hayden Lake, Idaho,
who wore a big painted "Z" on his chest. "I'm excited about next
year." | |
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