A bid farewell

SALT LAKE CITY -- It's time to say goodbye.\nWords can't fully express what ended Saturday. A season that began with limitless dreams quickly dissolved into a coaching fallout. But when the fires tamed, the Hoosiers that originally ignited optimism rose again. A five-game losing streak beget a five-game winning streak that beget IU's first tournament berth in three years.\nBut the run finally ended with a 90-80 loss to No.3-seeded Gonzaga Saturday night. And all that was left for a coach and his players were emotions. \nThe moment seemed larger than words.\n"I can't explain it," IU coach Mike Davis said of his feelings after the game. "We've been through a lot together. I am just proud of them."\nIn a fashion fitting for the entire season, the Hoosiers fought till the bitter end. They held the nation's leading scorer to 14 points. They set a new IU tournament record for 3-pointers. Their point guard even came one rebound shy of a triple-double.\nBut also in a fashion fitting for the entire season -- things were just not meant to be.\n"I'm not really disappointed," Davis said. "I'm really sad for my players -- I really am. We fought hard. If you don't come out and play hard, that's disappointment to me. But I thought we fought hard."\nFor 23 minutes, the game appeared promising. It took Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison 15 minutes just to notch his first\nfield goal, and the Hoosiers were having relative success on offense. Senior Marco Killingsworth was shooting better than 50 percent, and junior Earl Calloway was blazing the trail -- leading IU in points and rebounds.\nBut in the fourth minute of the second half, everything changed. IU hadn't led since the 13:19 mark in the first period, but a three from sophomore Robert Vaden not only started his 20-point night, but brought IU within one point of Gonzaga, 37-38. Shortly thereafter the Bulldogs' Sean Mallon netted two of his 15 points, and Morrison began jawing with IU junior Rod Wilmont. Both men received technical fouls, but more importantly, the emotional Morrison got the spark he needed to double his output the rest of the way.\nOn the next Bulldog possession, the referees whistled Killingsworth for a foul on Gonzaga's J.P. Batista. Killingsworth responded by slapping the ball and shouting, earning himself an additional technical foul -- bringing his total to four.\nKillingsworth didn't return to the game for another eight minutes when Gonzaga's lead had swelled comfortably to nine points.\n"With Marco out, you don't really have a lot of options," Vaden said.\nOne option the Hoosiers were left with -- shoot threes. And shoot them they did. After Killingsworth's technical, IU launched 19 threes and made 10 of them including seven of the last 10. All-together the Hoosiers netted 16 3-pointers, good for tops in tournament play and second most all-time in Hoosier history.\nBut all the while Gonzaga's three big men (Batista, Mallon and Morrison) kept pounding away inside to combine for 49 points and 28 rebounds.\n"They are a really physical team," senior guard Marshall Strickland said. "A lot more physical than a lot of people give them credit for."\nIn a game of 170 combined points, stats ruled the evening. But lost in the disparity of free throws (32-2) and points in the paint (46-20), was perhaps the best statistical evening of IU's season.\nCalloway managed to go 6-for-12 from the field for 13 points, dish out 10 assists -- all in the second half -- and grab nine rebounds despite standing 6-foot-3, 160 pounds. With one more board, the junior college transfer would have become the first Hoosier to record a triple-double in more than 30 years.\nBut there's no statistical solace in a loss. When the final buzzer sounded, the numbers that mattered most were 90 and 80. And now that the season has ended, there are four seniors set to move on, two sophomores whose futures remain in question and one coaching vacancy yet to be filled.\nAs for IU's now-former coach, he has larger priorities than basketball now.\n"I have a family to take care of," Davis said. "That's the most important thing to me."\nAs for the rest of the players, staff and fans -- it's time to say goodbye.