Behind 53.8 percent shooting (28-of-52) and a dominant performance on the glass (42-20) the No. 11-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs upset the St. John's Red Storm, 86-71, in a second-round NCAA Tournament contest in Denver, CO Thursday night. The Bulldogs (24-9) will advance to the third round of the Southeast Region to play No. 3 BYU, which defeated No. 14 Wofford, 74-66, earlier on Thursday. The Johnnies finish their remarkable season 21-12 overall. Senior guard Dwight Hardy of St. John's netted a game-best 26 points in his collegiate finale.
St. John's, which couldn't overcome a 43-32 halftime disadvantage, was just outmatched inside by the 'Zags junior guard Marquise Carter, who tallied 26 points, six rebounds, six assists, and big-men junior center Robert Sacre and sophomore forward Elias Harris. Sacre finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds, while Harris tallied 15 points and eight rebounds. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 9-of-15 (60 percent) from behind the 3-point line, including four from senior guard Steven Gray and three from Harris and Carter.
Other St. John's players playing their final game were: Seniors Justin Brownlee (14 points), Paris Horne (11 points), Dele Coker, Sean Evans (four points), Justin Burrell (four rebounds) and Mailk Boothe (two points). Freshman forward Dwayne Polee scored 14 points.