Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images

Indiana coach Mike Davis gestures to his team. The Hoosiers' loss to Gonzaga on Saturday ended Davis' tenure at the school.

Mallon, the 6-foot-9 forward who was once envisioned as the cornerstone of the Gonzaga program, matched his career high in rebounds.

Batista easily won the matchup against Killingsworth (12 points), in large part because he stayed on the court longer.

Knight, a 6-7 swingman, overcame a 102-degree fever earlier in the day, finished 4-for-5 from the floor and gave the Hoosiers fits trying to cover him.

“We have some other players that can really make plays, and they all did tonight,” Few said.

With 18 seconds left in his troubled six-year tenure at Indiana, Davis pulled Strickland from the game and the two shared a long hug — the senior guard burying his head in the coach’s shoulder.

Then, Davis ended it with class, telling his players to simply dribble out the clock and end it — trailing by 10 and with no chance to win.

He got a nice hand from the few Indiana fans left in the gym when he came to courtside for a radio interview.

In the postgame news conference, his players offered their testimonials.

“He’s like a father to me,” said Vaden, whose own dad died last summer. “I love him with all my heart. I’m sure he loves me forever. You’ve just got to move on.”

And Strickland: “He helped me grow up. He tested me and really brought a lot of great things out in me.”

Listening to that, Davis simply lowered his head to his knees, clearly overcome with emotion.

“I can’t explain it,” the coach said. “We’ve been through a lot together. I’m just proud of those guys.”

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