GENERAL NEWS

Gonzaga holds off South Carolina in Final Four

Apr 1, 2017, 6:11 PM | Updated: 10:12 pm

Gonzaga players celebrate after the semifinals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament...

Gonzaga players celebrate after the semifinals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament against South Carolina, Saturday, April 1, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. Gonzaga won 77-73. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points, Gonzaga’s big men combined for 27 and the Bulldogs used some last-second strategy for a 77-73 victory over South Carolina on Saturday in a matchup of first-time teams at the Final Four.

The Bulldogs’ 7-footers, senior Przemek Karnowski and freshman Zach Collins, took care of things on both ends of the court, combining for 18 rebounds. Collins also had six blocks.

Gonzaga (37-1) will face the winner between North Carolina and Oregon in the national championship game on Monday night.

“To be playing the last game of the year, that’s crazy cool,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.

Williams-Goss missed a shot with 12.7 seconds left and South Carolina rebounded and called a timeout trailing 75-72. South Carolina passed the ball around and Gonzaga fouled Sindarius Thornwell with 3.5 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Killian Tillie rebounded for Gonzaga, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to cement the game.

“We had been practicing it all year and we always want to foul under 6 (seconds). I thought the guys did a great job,” Few said. “Josh Perkins did a job being really patient and not fouling on the shot. The second part is you’ve got to get the rebound, and that’s what’s been difficult for us at times. They executed great.”

Williams-Goss, a second-team All-American, led the Bulldogs to a 14-point lead in the second half but it disappeared quickly as the Gamecocks (26-11) went on a 14-point run to grab a 67-65 lead with 7:06 to play.

“When things got tough we banded together and pulled through,” Williams-Goss said. “There was no way I was going to come out of the game. This is the last two games of the season. Now we’re 40 minutes from a championship.”

Collins and Karnowksi then accounted for the next 7 points, including a 3-pointer by Collins and a thundering dunk by Karnowski.

Still, South Carolina wasn’t done. The seventh-seeded Gamecocks scored 5 straight to get within 74-72 with just over 2 minutes left.

PJ Dozier led the Gamecocks with 17 points and Thornwell, the leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament at 25.8 points per game, finished with 15 on 4-for-12 shooting after starting slow.

Karnowski went down on the court in the first half after being poked in the right eye as he took a shot underneath the basket. Karnowski, who said he was bothered by some blurred vision, left for the last 5 minutes of the half, but Collins picked him up, finishing with 8 points at halftime.

BIG PICTURE

South Carolina: The Gamecocks entered the tournament having last won a game in 1973. They had four wins to reach the Final Four, including victories over the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds in the East region.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs had made three Elite Eights without advancing to the Final Four.

UP NEXT

Gonzaga meets the winner of the North Carolina-Oregon game for the national championship on Monday night.

___

General News

Yassine Gharram #24 of the Yale Bulldogs reacts after a 78-76 victory against the Auburn Tigers in ...

Associated Press

March Madness: Another year without a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket

It's another year without a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket. Surprising wins by Yale, Oakland and Duquesne busted many of the brackets

5 days ago

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 21: Aaron Bradshaw #2 of the Kentucky Wildcats and Trey Townsend #...

Associated Press

Oakland delivers first true shock of March Madness, upsets Kentucky

Jack Gohlke made 10 3-pointers and 14th-seeded Oakland delivered the first true shock of this year’s March Madness, beating third-seeded Kentucky 80-76 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

7 days ago

Runners take off after the starting gun at Pat's Run in Tempe. The race, will be run on April 13 th...

Character Counts

The 20th annual Pat’s Run set take place in Tempe on April 13

The 20th iteration of Pat's Run is set to take place in Tempe on April 13 to honor the life and legacy of Pat Tillman.

12 days ago

Follow @AZSports...

Arizona Sports

CBS and TNT announce who is calling 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Final Four

Ian Eagle will call his first Final Four. Who else is calling the 2024 NCAA men's basketball tournament that ends in the Phoenix area?

16 days ago

Christopher Bell...

Associated Press

Christopher Bell pulls away for NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix Raceway

Christopher Bell surged into the lead when Martin Truex Jr. was forced to pit and pulled away for a NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix Raceway.

18 days ago

Rayshon Harrison...

Arizona Sports

WAC Tournament schedule: When does GCU basketball play in Las Vegas?

Grand Canyon University men's basketball has the top seed in the 2024 WAC Basketball Tournament, which opens Wednesday.

18 days ago

Gonzaga holds off South Carolina in Final Four