Friday, March 20, 1998
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- For the UC Davis men's basketball team, statistics can often be misleading. With only two players averaging in double figures and no one scoring more than 12.4 points per game, the Aggies look like a pushover on paper.
But one statistic that has not lied for UCD this season has been defense. The Aggies were the nation's No. 2 team in scoring defense during the regular season and have not fallen off at all during the playoffs.
UCD has held the leading scorers of its first two Elite Eight opponents to 6-for-22 shooting.
Thursday's victim was St. Rose guard Jermaine Henderson, who averaged 19.5 points per game during the regular season but was held to 12 on 5-for-15 shooting against UCD.
``We did want to bother him,'' UCD coach Bob Williams said. ``We think he's the key to their team.''
Henderson was 2 of 10 from the field in the first half, then came out in the second half and was called for three quick fouls, many of which were due to frustration. At one point, Henderson and UCD's J.C. Timmons were called for double fouls away from the ball.
Timmons, Dante Ross and Keith Jackson frustrated Henderson by denying him the ball, and eventually Henderson was pulled from the game because he was ineffective.
``We did want to put the clamps on Henderson,'' Williams said. ``We had J.C. on him, we had Dante on him, we had Keith on him. We tried to keep different players on him. He's a very competitive kid. He was bothered by the team being down, which he should be.''
St. Rose coach Brian Beaury could tell that his leading scorer was not in his typical rhythm.
``I thought they did a great job on Jermaine Henderson,'' Beaury said. ``Jermaine Henderson is a great player, but I thought he was forcing action. There's games when he can force action and it works, and tonight it wasn't working.''
The Aggies also played well defensively inside the paint, which was a big key considering UCD center Justis Durkee gave up six inches to St. Rose 6-foot-10 sophomore Damon Reed.
Durkee bothered Reed by beating him to spots and playing physical inside. When Reed would get a shot off, sophomore Jason Cox often helped out with blocks.
``They were double-teaming me, it seemed like three at a time,'' said Reed, who scored 16 points, many coming while Durkee sat with four fouls. ``I was trying to find other people, and I wish it would have worked out a little better.''
The Golden Knights have earned the moniker ``the Comeback Kids'' for their ability to rally to victories recently. Thursday's game against UCD looked as if it may be another stunning comeback win.
But St. Rose, which trailed 55-32 with 14:22 remaining in the game before cutting that deficit to six with 2:10 left, came up short.
Wednesday, the Golden Knights came back from a 19-point deficit to defeat Fairmont State (W.Va.) in overtime behind a career game from guard Ryan Halliday. The junior, who averaged about six points per game coming into the tournament, scored 28 points on 7-for-7 shooting from behind the 3-point line to rally St. Rose.
Against the Aggies, Halliday missed his first six shots. But freshman Steve Sgambelluri, who averages three points per game and had only nine 3-pointers all season, nailed three 3s in the second half to get the Golden Knights back in the game.
``We were hopeful (Halliday) wouldn't put on a display like he did (Wednesday),'' Williams said. ``Of course, we were not counting on (Sgambelluri) coming out and shooting the lights out.''
Same directions, different teams
While UCD and championship opponent Kentucky Wesleyan have never played each other, the two teams share a common bond.
For the fourth time in the past five years, the West Region champion (UCD) will face the Great Lakes Region champ (Kentucky Wesleyan) in the title game.
Scott M. Johnson
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