2011 Anaheim Classic Recap

By Jon Cooper

The fifth annual Anaheim Classic had a little bit of everything—tremendous displays of shooting, upsets, buzzer-beaters and dramatic game-closing runs, with some unexpected twists. In the end, Rick Majerus and the Saint Louis Billikens were at the top, denying Oklahoma and its coach, Lon Kruger, a shot at history. (More on that later.)

Here is a team-by-team rundown of the 2011 Anaheim Classic.

BOSTON COLLEGE (1-2)
Nickname: Eagles
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Location: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
2010-11 Record (postseason result): 21-13 (Second round, NIT)

Boston College came out strong in its first game, but couldn’t overcome 20 turnovers in falling 62-51 to Saint Louis. Matt Humphrey and Ryan Anderson each had 12 to lead the Eagles, who jumped out to 13-5 lead, but then went without a field goal the final 7:54 of the first half, and trailed 29-23 at intermission. BC never led in the second 20 minutes, falling behind by as much as 15. A Humphrey layup with 2:58 to go got BC within seven, but they’d get no closer. In their next game, the Eagles got 32 points from freshman Patrick Heckmann to beat UC Riverside, 66-62, in overtime. The Eagles used a 20-7 run to take a six-point lead with 2:08 to go, but were outscored 8-2 in the final 61 seconds to force overtime. In the extra session, BC outscored Riverside 10-6. Heckmann hit 9 of 13 shots (4 of 5 from three) and nailed all 10 foul shots for the Eagles, who hit 14 of 16 from the line. The 32 points were the second-most ever in a 76 Classic game. In its finale, BC fell behind by double digits early against New Mexico and never recovered, losing 75-57. Humphrey had 12 for the Eagles, who shot 35.1 percent. BC, which trailed by as many as 19 late in the first half, used a 10-0 run to pull within eight, but the Lobos went on a 7-0 run of their own and pulled away.

NEW MEXICO (2-1)
Nickname: Lobos
Conference: Mountain West
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
2010-11 Record: (postseason result): 22-13 (Second Round, NIT)

New Mexico overcame a cold-shooting first half to force overtime late, but fell short, losing 79-76 to Santa Clara. Tony Snell led the Lobos with 18, on 6-of-11 shooting (4 of 7 from three). Drew Gordon grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. UNM shot only 32.1 percent in the first half and trailed by as much as 13 before fighting back, hitting 20 of 21 foul shots and tying the game with 21 seconds remaining on a Snell three. But in overtime, Snell and starting forward A.J. Hardeman fouled out, and the Broncos outscored the Lobos 12-9. New Mexico outscored Santa Clara 27-3 in points off the bench for the game. In its next game, New Mexico led wire to wire, beating Washington State 72-62. Snell again led the Lobos, scoring 21, and backcourt mate Kendall Williams added 17 with a team-high seven rebounds. The Lobos raced out to a 13-2 lead, led by 17 in the first half, and cruised home. UNM finished strong, again leading wire to wire, blasting Boston College 75-57 in its finale. Gordon had 21 points and 11 rebounds, both game-highs, for the Lobos, who shot 60.7 percent. They scored the game’s first six points and led by as much as 19 in the first half and would lead by 21. The Lobos held a 16-4 edge in points in the paint.

OKLAHOMA (2-1)
Nickname: Sooners
Conference: Big 12
Location: Norman, Okla.
2010-11 Record: 14-18

The Sooners came on late to win their opener, 74-59, over Washington State. Calvin Newell had 18 points, with four three-point field goals (both game-highs), and point guard Sam Grooms had 10 assists against one turnover, as Oklahoma outscored WSU 36-19 in the final 20 minutes. OU’s defense held the Cougars to 22.2 percent shooting and only 1-for-9 from three in the final 20 minutes. Newell scored 10 points in a 13-2 run that extended a 49-48 lead to 60-50 with a little over seven minutes remaining. OU forced 22 turnovers and outscored WSU 22-7 off giveaways. Oklahoma moved into the championship game by knocking off Santa Clara 85-73. Guard Steven Pledger scored 26, shooting 10-of-15, 4-for-8 from three, and Andrew Fitzgerald had 12 points and 13 rebounds. The Sooners used a 20-0 run to blow out to a 42-19 halftime lead and led by 25 in the second half. OU limited the Broncos to 25.8 percent shooting in the first half. In the championship game, Oklahoma lost 83-63, to hot-shooting Saint Louis. Cameron Clark and Romero Osby each had 14 points and six rebounds to lead the Sooners. Neither team led by more than four in the first half until St. Louis closed on a 10-0 run to take a 39-30 lead into the locker room. OU pulled to within nine midway through the second half but got no closer. Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger just missed becoming the first coach to win back-to-back 76 Classics, having won the ’10 Classic as UNLV’s  coach. Pledger was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 17 points and 1.3 steals.

SAINT LOUIS (3-0)
Nickname: Billikens
Conference: Atlantic 10
Location: St. Louis
2010-11 Record: 12-19

Saint Louis overcame an early eight-point deficit and blew by Boston College 62-51 in its opener. Junior point Kwamain Mitchell had 20 points and four assists, both game-highs, and Brian Conklin added 18, on 7-for-10 shooting. The Billikens took the lead with 2:05 left in the half and never trailed again. Conklin scored 16 second-half points and keyed a 9-0 early second-half run that opened the lead to 14. Mitchell put in four straight points in a minute, after BC cut the lead to seven with three minutes left. In its next game, Saint Louis buried Villanova, 80-68, hitting 14 three-point shots. Jordair Jett had 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and Kyle Cassity hit four 3-pointers as the Billikens shot 51.9 percent from behind the arc. Saint Louis, which outscored the Wildcats 24-6 in points off turnovers, overcame a 10-point first-half deficit, and led 38-34 at the half by shooting 8-for-11 as part of a half-ending 22-8 run. They would lead by as much as 14 in the second half. Saint Louis had a 37-10 edge in bench points. In the championship game, the Billikens shot 60.4 percent, 53.0 percent from three, and took out Oklahoma 83-63. Conklin had a career-high 25, while Cody Ellis had 16 and Mitchell added 10. Saint Louis went on a 10-2 run to take a 39-30 lead into the half and led by as much as 22 late in the second half. Conklin averaged 17.3 points to earn Outstanding Player honors, while Mitchell, who averaged 13.0 points and 3.7 assists, also made the All-Tournament team.

SANTA CLARA (2-1)
Nickname: Broncos
Conference: West Coast
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
2010-11 Record (postseason result): 24-14 (CIT Champion)

Santa Clara worked late, knocking off New Mexico, 79-76, in overtime in its opener. Evan Roquemore and Kevin Foster each had 26 points. The Broncos survived a game-tying three at the buzzer by New Mexico’s Tony Snell, then hit seven of eight free throws in the extra session, which saw two ties and five lead changes. Niyi Harrison’s two foul shots gave the Broncos the lead for good at 76-74. Santa Clara lost 85-73 to Oklahoma in its next game, but made the Sooners sweat it out. Roquemore scored 27 points with 10 assists, while Foster had 19 and passed Steve Nash as the school’s all-time leader in three-point field goals. Santa Clara shot only 25.8 percent in the first half and trailed 42-19 at intermission. The Broncos used an 11-2 second-half run—with Foster and Roquemore scoring all 11 points—then a 10-3 run, with Roquemore scoring eight points to get to within 79-73 with 45 seconds left, but got no closer. The Broncos shot 52.4 percent from three in the second half (11-for-21) but were outscored 24-11 from the line. Santa Clara ended with an unforgettable 65-64 victory over Villanova, going on a game-closing 10-0 run over the final 2:56. Raymond Cowels III had 20 points, including a career-high six threes, while Roquemore added 15 points, 13 coming in the second half. The run began with the Broncos trailing 64-55 with 3:28 to go. Roquemore hit six free throws, including the game-winner with four seconds left. He was named to the All-Tournament team, averaging a tournament-high 22 points, with eight assists, and shooting 22-of-23 from the foul line.

UC RIVERSIDE (1-2)
Nickname: Highlanders
Conference: Big West
Location: Riverside, Calif.
2010-11 Record: 12-19

Riverside got off to a quick start, but fell in its opener 71-46 to Villanova. Daymond Cowlah scored a team-high 10 points to lead the Highlanders, who fell prey to a 20-2 run midway through the first half and never recovered. After making three of its first six shots, Riverside made only five of 19 and shot 23.1 percent, hitting one of 10 three-point shots, and trailed 32-16 at the half. A Cowlah jumper with 9:39 to play cut the deficit to 14, but the Wildcats then pulled away. In their next game, the Highlanders got 22 from Phil Martin and forged a dramatic last-minute rally to force overtime, but lost 66-62 to Boston College. Riverside led 26-23 at the half and by seven in the second half, but were down 56-50 with a minute to play. Kareem Nitoto hit a three with 50 seconds remaining, then, after a turnover, Harrison Gaines hit a game-tying three with 35 seconds left to force overtime. Those were the only two threes the Highlanders made the entire game. Riverside never led in overtime. UCR made another dramatic comeback in its final game and this time pulled out a 64-63 win over Washington State. Martin had 14, and Gaines added 13 for the Highlanders, who trailed by 11 in the first half and by 14 with 7:00 to play before going on a 14-0 run, to tie the game with 3:52 left. Gaines’ jumper with 1:18 left gave Riverside its first lead of the day, 62-60, and Martin’s layup with 14 seconds remaining provided the winning points.

VILLANOVA (1-2)
Nickname: Wildcats
Conference: Big East
Location: Villanova, Pa.
2010-11 Record (postseason result): 21-12 (1^st Round, NCAA)

Villanova played tremendous shutdown defense, and Maalik Wayns had a game-high 23 points and seven assists in a 71-46 opening win over UC Riverside. Mouphtaou Yarou had a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) for the Wildcats, who had four double-digit scorers. Nova held Riverside to 23.1 percent shooting (10.0 percent from three) in the first half and used a 20-2 run to take a 32-16 lead into the locker room. They hit 12 of 14 foul shots in building the lead. A 16-6 run to open the second half ballooned the lead to 26, and the ’Cats cruised. In its next game, Villanova got a career-high 29 from Wayns and 16 from James Bell, but fell 80-68 to Saint Louis, in the schools’ first meeting in 50 years. The ’Cats led 26-16  midway through the first half, but with Yarou on the bench with two fouls, the Billikens went on a 12-0 run and took a 38-34 lead into the half. The Wildcats cut a 14-point deficit to seven with 6:33 to go but got no closer. Wayns hit 10 of 20 FGAs and led the ’Cats with six rebounds. Villanova suffered a heartbreaking loss in its final game, losing 65-64 to Santa Clara. Led by Yarou’s 19 points and seven rebounds, the Wildcats led 64-55 with 2:56 remaining, but didn’t score again and committed four turnovers in allowing a game-ending 10-0 run. JayVaughn Pinkston missed the front end of a one-and-one with six seconds left, up 64-63. Villanova missed five of eight second-half free throw attempts. Wayns was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 20.7 points, with 14 assists and a tournament-leading 23 field goals and 14 free throws (in 17 attempts).

WASHINGTON STATE (0-3)
Nickname: Cougars
Conference: Pac-10
Location: Pullman, Wash.
2010-11 Record (postseason result): 22-13 (NIT Semifinals)

Washington State got off to a hot start in its opener and first-ever meeting with Oklahoma, but faded in the second half, dropping the game, 74-59. The Cougars shot a blazing 64 percent in the first half, hitting six of eight three-point attempts, including a 60-foot buzzer-beater by Marcus Capers, to take a 40-38 lead into the half. But in the second half, the Cougars cooled off, hitting only six of 27 shots (22.2 percent), and only one of nine three-pointers (a season-low 11.1 percent). Brock Motum led WSU with 13 points and seven rebounds, and Faisal Aden added a dozen. Washington State hurt itself by committing 22 turnovers. Early cold shooting and turnovers hurt Washington State again in its 72-62 loss to New Mexico. The Cougars committed 10 turnovers and hit only two of their first 12 shots in putting themselves in an early 11-point hole. Aden had 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting to lead the Cougars, while Motum added 10 and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. State shot 56.5 percent in the second half and got to within seven on two occasions, but could never close the gap. The Cougars ended the tournament with a disappointing 64-63 loss to UC Riverside. Motum finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, both game-highs, and WSU shot a tournament-best 45.3 percent, but let a 14-point lead evaporate in the final 7:05, making one field goal in that span.

University of Maryland alum Jon Cooper is an Atlanta-based freelance writer.