Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs hit a desperate three – pointer to beat the buzzer in overtime to give the Zags a 93-90 victory over upset UCLA in a memorable Final Four game on Saturday. Gonzaga, the number one seed, won 29 of his 30 double-digit games and won the power play with the Bruins in 11th place, but the Bulldogs eventually had to survive a thriller to maintain their perfect record.
The Bruins gave the Zags everything they could handle before Gonzaga scored the victory. UCLA’s Johnny Juzang leveled it at 90 with a lay-up, just seconds ahead of Suggs’ heroic deeds.
The Bulldogs, who are No. 1 overall in the NCAA Tournament, will go on to play Baylor at No. 2 in the national title game.
After scoring 28 points on Tuesday in a 51-49 victory over Michigan in the Elite Eight, Juzang once again put on a spectacular performance for UCLA with 29 points. But the 6-foot-6 sophomore was whistled for a cost with 1.1 seconds left in regulation while shooting for a potential game win.
The call sent the game to overtime and from there Gonzaga center Drew Timme took over with six quick points in the first two minutes of overtime. The second year ends with 25 points for the Bulldogs, who improve to 31-0 with the win.
Suggs is special
Suggs’ 3-pointer at the buzzer will go up in history, and rightly so. But it was not the first time Suggs had saved Gonzaga. The star first-year student recorded the pinnacle of regulation when he came from behind to reverse Cody Riley’s dunk effort by 2:00.
He then collected the rebound and snatched a spectacular bounce pass to Timme, who caught it in a trap and plunged it. The four-point swing put Gonzaga ahead by two and helped gain momentum that he would have to avoid a loss of regulation.
Lovely in defeat
The Bruins’ magic run began in the First Four with an overtime victory over Michigan State, and it ended with a loss of overtime in the Final Four. A total of four of the Browns’ last seven games have been extended overtime this season, recalling a loss to Oregon States in the Pac-12 tournament.
It’s hard to judge a program with 11 national championships that takes on the role of sweet underdog, but this group of UCLA players fits the bill. In particular, Juzang won an unforgettable NCAA tournament. He became, according to ESPN Stats & Info, only the second player in UCLA’s history to score three 25-point games in a single NCAA tournament.
History still available
Gonzaga is aiming to become the first unbeaten national champion since Indiana in 1976, and Saturday’s narrow victory protected the event. But Saturday could also be an indication that the Zags are not invincible. After going through a series of overwhelming opponents in the West Coast Conference and handling their first four NCAA tournament opponents without much effort, the Bulldogs were tested against UCLA.
The Bruins thrived in the mid-range game, proving that some of Gonzaga’s circuit players are not good 1-on-1 defenders. As Jaime Jaquez Jr. of Juzang and UCLA could break the Bulldogs off the dribble, Butler’s deep trio of guards could be successful in attacking the basket and also coming to favorable shooting spots.