SPOKANE – Mark Few is throwing Gary Bell Jr. into the fire, and so far, Bell appears to be wearing an asbestos suit.
Bell passed another major test in his second start for Gonzaga, and the freshman guard out of Kentridge High School played a key role in the Bulldogs’ 67-61 win over Oral Roberts on Thursday night at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
After giving Bell his first college start Saturday against talented Michigan State, Few assigned Bell to guard Oral Roberts star Dominique Morrison most of the game.
Morrison, an athletic, 6-foot-6 wing, made just 4 of 12 shots and finished three points below his season average with 13. The 6-1 Bell had just six points after scoring 13 against Michigan State, but it was all about the defense for Few.
“Gary will give you a great effort,” Few said. “He’s really, really sound against coverages, screens and pick-on balls.
“He’s very advanced for a freshman, defensively.”
Another freshman guard, Kevin Pangos, led Gonzaga with 14 points and seven assists. Pangos’ latest strong performance came against a team with five returning starters, plus a sixth player who started two years ago.
“That’s a (likely NCAA) tournament team that we played,” Bell said. “They’re a scrappy team, so we just had to raise our level of play.
The Bulldogs, who had lost two straight after a 5-0 start, improved to 6-2 heading into their annual Seattle “home” game Saturday against Arizona (4-5). Game time is 1 p.m. (Ch. 7).
The Bulldogs never relinquished the lead after taking a 37-29 halftime advantage after an exchange of spurts by both sides. However, Oral Roberts (7-4) cut its deficit to two points before low-scoring Mike Hart buried a 3-pointer with 3:24 left.
“A grind,” Few said of the victory. “A gut check. I’ve been preaching all week, they’re a very good basketball team.”
“We lost the game the last eight minutes of the first half,” Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton said. “We built a 27-20 lead and had the ball and we just got rattled. We lost our composure.”
Morrison, the preseason pick as the Summit League Player of the Year, was averaging 16.2 points a game.
“He’s a strong player,” Bell said. “An NBA prospect, I heard.
“I think I did pretty good on him. I made his shots tough.”
The Bulldogs shot 60 percent in the first half and 51 percent for the game. Forward Elias Harris notched 12 points and 10 rebounds. Center Robert Sacre overcame first-half foul trouble to get nine points and 10 boards, and backup center Sam Dower contributed 12 points. Gonzaga’s bench had a 23-4 scoring advantage.
Junior forward Damen Bell-Holter, an Alaska native who was recruited by Gonzaga, led the Golden Eagles with 16 points.
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