MEN'S TOURNAMENT: Zags shine when it's Gray

LAS VEGAS – Head Coach Mark Few thought Steven Gray broke his elbow chasing after a loose ball midway through the first half. It ended up being less severe and he re-entered the game only to bend back two fingernails on his shooting hand just minutes later. He exited the game – got fixed up – and came back on the floor again to drill a 3-pointer. With a bloody hand and elbow, Gray posted one his best performances ever, 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting, with six rebounds and seven assists.

"He was an absolute warrior," Head Coach Mark Few said of Gray's performance in Sunday's 77-62 semifinal win over Loyola Marymount. "It's one of the best performances I've ever seen."

Gray has been highly productive since the LMU loss on Feb. 18. Excluding the Cal-State Bakersfield game in which he logged just 13 minutes, Gray is averaging more than 17 points per game. Sunday night's performance is his highest postseason output since a 21-point performance against Davidson on March 21, 2008, during the NCAA Tournament.

"The coaches made it really simple," Gray said. "Just attack and play hard. That means getting to paint, finishing strong … just always attacking instead of being reactive.

"I feel like if you go out there and play hard it makes the game pretty simple and things seem to take care of themselves," he added. "That's just my mentality."

Often, when Gray plays well, so does Gonzaga. Many of its big wins have coincided with marquee performances from the junior guard.

"When Steven is hot, we're tough to stop," Matt Bouldin said after Gray dropped 26 points against Santa Clara on Feb. 26 in the McCarthey Center.

In the Bulldogs two conference losses – at San Francisco on Jan. 30 and on the road against LMU on Feb. 28 – Gray posted below average numbers. Against the Dons, Gray tallied eight points on 2-for-13 shooting; versus the Lions he was 4-for-14 from the field. And while much of the team struggled against Duke, he scored six points in one of the team's worst offensive games in more than 25 years.

Conversely, many of Gonzaga's biggest wins have included impressive stat lines from Gray. Solid outings against Colorado (27 points) and Wisconsin (15 points) earned Gray MVP honors at the Maui Classic. His double-double (14 points, 14 rebounds) helped propel the Zags to a critical 89-82 conference win versus Saint Mary's on Jan. 14. He posted 20 points in a gritty road win against Illinois in December.

"He's a tough, tough kid," Few said. He's a great ambassador for our program."
It was a memorable performance for Gray in front of a partisan crowd at the Orleans Arena.

"Our crowd travels so well," Gray said. "Everywhere we go it seems like we have a good contingency of fans and coming down to Vegas is one of the most exciting things we get to do. Everyone wants to win so it's a great atmosphere."

Memorable performances from Gray

Date        Opponent        Points        Rebounds    Assists
3/21/08    Davidson         21        3        2
12/20/08    Connecticut        23        7        4
11/23/09    Colorado        *27        4        0
1/28/10    Saint Mary's        14        14        6
2/26/10    Santa Clara        26        6        1
3/7/10        Loyola Marymount    18        6        7