Dean, Gipson get Hogs' rout started

BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- It can be a short trip from the doghouse to the penthouse when you play for Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson.
Junior guards Brandon Dean and Teddy Gipson experienced that this week when they helped get the Razorbacks started on the way to an 87-70 victory over LSU on Saturday before 19,076 fans at Walton Arena after being ripped by Richardson and playing only five minutes each in Arkansas' 71-63 loss at Auburn on Wednesday night.
Richardson questioned the work ethic of Dean and Gipson after the Auburn game and said they had to understand "it ain't what you did last year."
On Saturday, Richardson started Dean and Gipson against the Tigers.
"You never know what Coach is going to do," Dean said. "You've just got to be prepared whenever your opportunity comes."
Dean and Gipson responded by helping Arkansas (15-9, 6-6 SEC) jump to a 22-6 lead the first eight minutes that kept the Razorbacks in control the rest of the game. Dean, who scored 10 points in the previous seven games, scored nine in the first 4:20 Saturday, hitting 3 three-pointers.
"I just wanted to come in and give us a spark, get things going, and let everybody be more relaxed," Dean said.
Dean scored all 12 of his points in the first half and was limited to 18 minutes after picking up his fourth foul with 17:18 left, but he and Gipson made a strong opening statement as they combined to score 13 of Arkansas' first 15 points.
"We wanted to prove to Coach that we were ready to play and ready to win," said Gipson, who had 7 points and 3 assists in 16 minutes. "When he gives you an opportunity, you've got to make the best of it, and today was one of those times for us."
LSU Coach John Brady recruited Dean, who is from Monroe, La., and coached him during an SEC players tour of Japan two years ago.
"His previous four or five games, he hadn't played well at all," Brady said. "But that just shows you the depth and versatility that Arkansas has that we don't have the luxury of. I can't have a Brandon Dean on my bench to come in and hit four or five three-pointers to change the complexion of the game."
LSU (11-12, 1-11) is down to five healthy scholarship players because of injuries and NCAA sanctions, and the Razorbacks made sure the game was played at a fast pace by forcing the issue with their pressure defense.
Richardson said playing at a faster tempo than Arkansas had in recent weeks also benefited Dean and Gipson.
"I thought the style of play brought Teddy and Brandon back into the game again and got them back into a rhythm," Richardson said. "They came here to play open-court, pressure, running basketball, but we have settled for taking it up the floor and depending on two guys to deliver us."
Those two guys are junior guard Jannero Pargo and sophomore guard Joe Johnson, who came into Saturday's game averaging a combined 26.8 points but didn't start after shooting 7 of 31 from the field at Auburn.
"It was frustrating to know that they put us down with their two best players on the bench," said LSU senior forward Brian Beshara, who scored a game-high 23 points.
Not being in the starting lineup was not a big adjustment, Pargo said.
"I wanted to come off the bench with the same intensity and focus as if I was starting," said Pargo, who scored 15 points in 20 minutes, hitting 5 of 10 field-goal attempts. "It doesn't really matter who starts the game, what matters is to win. If you win, you've got to be happy."
Johnson, who had 5 turnovers at Auburn, struggled again Saturday, when he had 6 turnovers and scored 4 points in 18 minutes.
But other Razorbacks stepped up along with Dean, Gipson and Pargo, with junior guard T.J. Cleveland scoring a season-high 19 points and sophomore guard Charles Tatum 14. Sophomore forward Larry Satchell had another solid game inside with 5 rebounds, 4 points and 3 blocked shots, and sophomore forward Carl Baker had 8 rebounds.
Ten Razorbacks played between 27 and 15 minutes.
"We're hoping the wear and tear will give us an opportunity to win at the end," Richardson said of using more players. "We've got to start making people play our game ... keep waves of people coming at you."
The Razorbacks led 41-15 with 4:24 left in the first half and 49-24 at halftime.
"They smacked us around, there's no doubt about that," Brady said. "The first 20 minutes was the first time we've just been really pushed around and overwhelmed.
"But you've got to compliment Coach Richardson's team, the way they came out and played. This was a big game for them. They really had to have it, and they came out and got it and got it at our expense."
LSU used a 14-0 run in the second half to pull within 76-63 with 3:31 left, but Cleveland scored nine points to push Arkansas' lead to 85-66.
"When you get way up on a team like we did in the first half, you tend to let up," Gipson said. "It's not like we wanted to do it, but it happens to a lot of teams."
The Razorbacks forced LSU into committing a season-high 33 turnovers, but they also suffered a season-high 27 turnovers.
"It didn't seem that close," Tatum said of the turnover margin. "Even though we turned it over 27 times, the wear and tear we put on their bodies was the big part."
Winning and getting back to .500 in SEC play also was big for the Razorbacks after losing back-to-back games at Florida and Auburn.
"It's a must-win situation from this point on," said Tatum, referring to Arkansas' NCAA Tournament hopes. "There's no room for error, because if we lose another game, what are we playing for? We can't lose."
The Razorbacks won Saturday with Dean and Gipson in the starting lineup three days after Richardson made it sound like they might rot on the bench the rest of the season.
"But you know that when Coach says something about you, it's nothing personal," Pargo said. "He gets on us for a reason, to try and motivate us.
"You just have to step up to the challenge, and that's what Teddy and Brandon did."

This article was published on Sunday, February 18, 2001

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