End Of The Line - cusa-fans.com

[mr. pony]

End Of The Line
SMU Loses Star Early, Falls To Santa Clara In CIT Semis
By Rick Atkinson for cusa-fans.com
http://cusa-fans.com/



DALLAS – Halftime of SMU’s semifinal CollegeInsider.com match with Santa Clara took on the feel of a hospital waiting room. Nervous Mustang fans, who had just watched their all-conference titan, Papa Dia, limp from the court and to the locker room, hoped for the best and prepared for the worst.

Surely, it wouldn’t end like this. … Or would it?

Dia emerged with the team for the second half, though still limping. He walked down the first row of fans, smiled and began to clap. The fans responded with cheers and applause.

But soon Dia turned and walked with a trainer to the court’s east end, behind the media platform, where he tried to run.

The endeavor lasted two steps. He couldn’t push off at all.

As Dia stood shifting his weight from one foot to the other, assessing his condition, SMU 70s great Ira Terrell approached and offered a brief word to the Mustangs’ senior star.

“I just said, ‘Do what you can,’” Terrell said after the game. “That’s all I could say because I don’t know how he feels. … I would never suggest that a person play when he’s hurt, because he could do more damage. … If he could play, I think Papa would have been out there. I mean, he played with a bad back last week.”

Shortly after Terrell’s visit, Dia limped up the tunnel to the locker room - for the last time. He didn’t return and did not speak with media afterward.

“I don’t think anybody in this arena is hurting more than Papa,” Terrell said.

SMU (20-15) fought valiantly without Dia, but it wasn’t enough as the Mustangs fell to the Kevin Foster-fueled Broncos, 72-55. Foster, a Katy, Texas, product, scorched the nets for 35 points to lead all scorers - including those in the day’s four NCAA Sweet Sixteen games.

Santa Clara will play for the CIT championship next Wednesday against either Iona or East Tennessee State.

“Santa Clara’s not a bad team,” Terrell said. “They’ve got some good size. And obviously, Foster could be playing at the next level before too long.”

“I’m definitely proud of these guys,” SMU coach Matt Doherty said of his team. “They left a mark. … It’s been a fun ride. We didn’t want it to end.”

Dia finished with four points and five rebounds in 11 minutes of action.

Robert Nyakundi led SMU with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Collin Mangrum, the only other Mustang in double-digits, had 13 points. Justin Haynes added nine points for SMU.

To have a chance without Dia, SMU had to shoot lights out and nab some lucky rebounds. But the Mustangs’ 28-percent second-half shooting and not-near-enough friendly caroms sealed their fate.

The Broncos out-rebounded SMU, 43-31.

Dia was fouled hard and went to the floor during a lay-up try with 8:18 left in the first half as the Mustangs led, 19-15. SMU fans booed the play as Dia lay on his back on the west-end baseline with teammates gathered around.

When he stood, it was clear after one step that Dia’s ankle injury was no walk-it-offer.

SMU coach Matt Doherty later called the foul by 6-7 Ben Dowdell “excessive.”

Santa Clara coach Kerry Keating, noting he and Doherty “go way back” – both are from Long Island – said he was sympathetic to Doherty losing his best player, but that Dowdell had to make the play on Dia “to not give him an easy one, because if Papa gets going, they’re a tough team to play.”

“I’m glad that we won,” Keating said, “but it’s obviously with a little grain of salt because I don’t want anyone to suffer an injury, especially someone who’s a senior and has had a great career.”

Said Dowdell, “[Dia’s] a great player. It’s sad that he had to go out like that.”

Dowdell said Dia’s absence hurt SMU more offensively than defensively. “He’s a big-time inside threat for them. With him out they needed a lot more shooting, especially from [Nyakundi] - a lot more outside shooting to beat us, than inside.”

Haynes hit both free throws after Dia’s injury to give SMU a 21-15 lead.

Perhaps still frustrated by the hard foul, Doherty screamed directly into a ref’s ear from a foot away after a nitty-looking call on Mangrum minutes later. SMU’s Ryan Harp was whistled 10 seconds later.

Doherty was still hot after a Foster 3 cut SMU’s lead to 27-24 with 4:05 left in the half.

The Mustangs, who had stretched their lead to nine points after Dia was hurt, trailed, 32-30, at the break. Helping the Mustangs’ cause was Santa Clara’s 4-of-13 shooting from 3-point range to that point.

In the second half, after the Mustangs had fallen behind by eight, Nyakundi brought the crowd to its feet with back-to-back 3s to draw SMU within one, 44-43.

The Mustangs managed a five-point lead with 9:31 left, but the game was tied, 51-all, two minutes later.

A Mangrum 3 pulled SMU to within two, 56-54, with 6:07 to play, but that was it for the gassed Mustangs. Literally. SMU didn’t make another basket, missing 11 straight.

Foster’s dagger three-and-one with 2:14 left gave Santa Clara a 66-54 lead, its biggest of the night, and effectively ended SMU’s season. “I get fouled a lot on the 3-point plays,” said the 6-2 sophomore, “so I’m kind of getting used to it. I kind of felt the foul coming so I just had to focus on making the 3.”

“I think [SMU] showed a lot of heart,” Terrell said, “especially when you lose your main dog. When your main man goes down, it hurts.”

The three-year old CIT allowed SMU to collect its first 20-win season since 1999-2000. What did the tournament mean to the Mustangs and their fans?

“I think it means a lot,” Terrell said. “There are so many teams that are not playing [now.] … I think this does a lot for the program. I think the guys that are sitting out that will be eligible next year, the guys that will come in next year, now you’ve got something to build on. You saw the crowd, a much better crowd tonight. The crowd was exciting.”

“You hate to lose your last game,” Terrell said. “It’s tough to play your last game. It’s worse when you lose your last game. And this was a tough one, but overall I think it was a good season.”

[2ndandlong]

I like how they subtly called out the officiating. There was a clear period where the refs could not get a call right. Not just in our favor. They just were asleep.

[Dutch]

that photo was taken w/n the first 2 minutes of the game b/c i'm not in my seats in the front row.

idiot bartender at Banditos didn't get us our tab hastily.

[2ndandlong]

that photo was taken w/n the first 2 minutes of the game b/c i'm not in my seats in the front row.

idiot bartender at Banditos didn't get us our tab hastily.

You could have also known that by looking at the clock in the background. Game hadn't started yet.

[Monkeystang]

LOL.

that photo was taken w/n the first 2 minutes of the game b/c i'm not in my seats in the front row.

idiot bartender at Banditos didn't get us our tab hastily.

You could have also known that by looking at the clock in the background. Game hadn't started yet.