THE FRONT ROW WITH BRUCE BOURQUIN: Friday, March 25, 2016

What a fun two nights I had in Spokane, watching Sunday’s doubleheader of a second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Spokane Arena and Gonzaga hosting Utah in the second round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament on Monday. I watched the NCAAs from the ‘cheap seats’, then a slightly less expensive price allowed me to sit near one of the tunnels in “The Kennel”.

ON A loud and proud Monday night in the WNIT, Gonzaga’s 92-77 loss can be summed up in a few words: Failure to close out on 3-point shooters. In what was former North Idaho College star point guard Georgia Stirton’s last collegiate game, the Zags allowed the Utes to shoot 10 for 24 from 3 (41.7 percent).

Stirton scored seven points and had two assists, plus she played her usual gluelike defense. Her heir apparent, freshman point guard Laura Stockton, scored 15 points in daring, driving fashion, to go with four assists. Stockton is one of the daughters of John Stockton, the NBA’s all-time career leader in assists and steals. It was also nice to see the inside-outside game of Gonzaga freshman forward and leading scorer Jill Barta of Fairfield, Mont. Barta led the way again with 18 points and nine rebounds.

And speaking of Stirton, after a stellar career at NIC in which she won the Scenic West Athletic Conference MVP as a freshman, she helped lead the Zags to a matchup Tennessee in the Sweet 16 last season at the Spokane Arena. This came after upsetting ranked teams such as Oregon State on its own court, and George Washington.

While watching the game from my lower section diagonally from one of the baskets, it sure seemed like a few more were drained, especially in the second half. A big discrepancy was Utah shot 46 percent from the field, while Gonzaga (19-14) shot just 34.3 percent from the field, but also banged home a very strong 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Now I could see and understood Gonzaga’s zone trying to prevent dribble-drives from Maryland guards and an attempt to surround center Emily Potter, but it did not do either of those things, either. Potter had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Paige Crozon spearheaded Utah’s offense, scoring 22 points, drilling all eight of her free throws.

THE NIGHT before at the Spokane Arena, top seed Oregon, despite beating Saint Joseph’s (Pa.) in the nightcap, looked fairly vulnerable to me and a scrappy Hawaii team also hung tough, before succumbing to the strength and size of Maryland.

But the Ducks made enough big shots at the right time, including a 3-pointer by Dillon Brooks with 1:22 left in the game to put Oregon up for good at 64-62, to pull off the win over the Hawks.

Now as a fan, it can occassionally drive me nuts to see a team stubbornly stick to one particular strategy, especially when it clearly isn’t working. In the first half, the Ducks shot 3 for 11 from the field to start the game and 1 for 6 to close the half out, but it still led 32-27 at halftime as Saint Joe’s made just 38.6 percent of its field goals. Oregon clearly had the size and speed to go inside the lane or at least dribble-drive and either shoot or dish off to a cutting teammate. But they clearly appeared to just sit back and shoot three after three — and watch brick after brick allow the Hawks to stay close or keep a lead, which was as big at 58-51 as late as 4:49 left in the game. Oregon’s 3-point gunners shot just 6 for 24 but got away with it. I’m not sure they will get away with it against tougher opponents.

Fortunately, blocks throughout the game — Oregon had seven — were in my mind the only real reason Saint Joseph’s did not win by at least six points. Plus the Ducks shot 21 for 25 from the free-throw line, with Tyler Dorsey making the clinching final two foul shots with 4 seconds left, giving Oregon a 69-64 win and a regional semifinal date with Duke, which the Ducks won Thursday, 82-68. To be honest, I was not confident Oregon would beat the Blue Devils and I was wrong.

IN THE earlier game, despite the fact No. 5 seed Maryland won 73-60 by catching fire late by shooting 17 for 17 from the free-throw line, I have to credit the Rainbow Warriors — studly nickname, right? — for hanging tough. Now granted, Hawaii trailed by four with a healthy 9:40 left, but the score always felt closer than the 9- or 10-point lead Maryland held from that point on. Even though Hawaii actually had a three-guard attack, it looked from the cheap seats like it fielded more of a four-guard attack, although both of its forwards were 6-foot-7 or taller. Its slight speed advantage seemed to allow Hawaii to drive and get some runners or layups.

But throughout the game, Terrapin big boys like freshman center Diamond Stone — all 6-11, 255 pounds of him — busted loose late in the second half for dunks in transition, layups or dunks on pick-and-rolls, Dunkin’ Donuts like the ones near the University of Maryland, etc.

But the real hero was Maryland guard Melo Trimble, who scored 24 points, nailed 13 of 14 free throws and kept Hawaii, who shot just 2 for 19 in jump shots in the second half, at bay. Hawaii was able to lead 41-39 midway through the second half, but Maryland, who played Kansas in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, went on a 14-0 run to counter it and put the game away.

ONE MORE note and I’m out. The Gonzaga men’s team (28-7) plays Syracuse tonight in Chicago and if they end up winning, there’s no reason the Zags couldn’t play in the Final Four, when few expected them to when they were losing to the likes of UCLA and SMU, and getting swept by Saint Mary’s. But with tougher potential opponents like Midwest Region No. 1 seed Virginia (who they’d play in the Elite Eight), East top seed North Carolina or one of my favorite teams, East No. 6 seed Notre Dame, who they’d potentially play in the Final Four, possibly standing in the Zags’ way, the remaining part of their bracket is certainly tough enough. In my view, North Carolina would be Gonzaga’s toughest opponent, should they play each other. Tar Heels coach Roy Williams, who I liken to the cartoon character Huckleberry Hound, has his teams ready to roll.

But it’s also definitely doable, even with Gonzaga going with a six-man rotation. We will see how they do, just gotta get past that vaunted Syracuse zone defense first.

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013, via e-mail at bbourquin@cdapress.com or via Twitter @bourq25