ANAHEIM, CALIF. » Bob Thomason went out from the Big West Conference the way he deserved — as a champion.
The legendary Pacific coach was given a fitting sendoff from a 25-year career in the league he helped build with a 64-55 Tigers win over UC Irvine in the Big West Conference tournament championship game on Saturday.
The Tigers (22-12), the Big West’s automatic entrant to the NCAA Tournament, are going dancing for the 10th time, and fifth under Thomason.
An announced crowd of 6,795 at the Honda Center saw Pacific take an 11-point halftime lead, have it shrink to three, then fend off the rabid Anteaters (20-15) hungry for their first bid to the Big Dance.
Tournament MVP Tony Gill (19 points) and point guard Lorenzo McCloud (16 points, seven rebounds) hit the big shots necessary to crown their coach king of the league one last time.
Thomason, a former Tigers player, announced before the 2012-13 season that he would retire after this year’s campaign was over. The Big West’s winningest coach (436-321) timed his retirement to coincide with Pacific’s departure from the Big West for the West Coast Conference.
"In life, you get what you deserve. They put themselves in this position," Thomason said of his senior-laden team.
Thomason deserved it too, though he was loath to say so.
"You couldn’t have written a script any better," he conceded. "And God had a great plan for this team, me, and I’ll have to ask Him someday about why. I’m not sure I deserve it."
UC Irvine coach Russell Turner has turned a struggling program into a winner in just a few seasons. He knows dues have to be paid, though, and said as much to his counterpart.
"I told him before the game it was an honor to compete against him. He’s the winning coach in conference history," Turner said. "The job he did this year is clearly outstanding. To have his team playing as well as they’ve played these last two weeks. … They’ve had a sustained run of success that we’d like to emulate."
Thomason’s 10-man rotation philosophy paid off in this sixth straight win with a remarkable 31-2 advantage in bench points. Gill, a junior college transfer, was the main reserve factor as he shot 6-for-12.
"Couldn’t be happier sending him to the NCAAs in his last year," Gill said of his coach. "He never stops coaching, never gave up."
Irvine, which beat Hawaii 71-60 in the quarterfinals, got 19 points from guard Daman Starring but hit on only six of 25 3-point attempts (24 percent) for the game.
The Anteaters are bound for the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
