Live NCAA Tournament updates: Gonzaga Bulldogs beat UCLA Bruins in Sweet 16

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and UCLA Bruins engaged in an epic NCAA Tournament battle on Thursday night in Las Vegas. And Gonzaga somehow escaped with a 79-76 win.

Julian Strawther pulled up from 28 feet and knocked down a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to give Gonzaga a 78-76 lead.

Drew Timme was unstoppable at times and led Gonzaga with 36 points and 13 rebounds.

READ THE GAME STORY

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SECOND HALF UPDATES

FINAL: Gonzaga 79, UCLA 76

JULIAN STRAWTHER FOR THE WIN!

Strawther pulls up and knocks down a straightaway 3-pointer with 7 seconds left to give Gonzaga a 78-76 lead and the Bulldogs hold on. There are no more words for this game.

STRAWTHER FROM WAY DEEP

GONZAGA HAS THE LEAD 😱#MarchMadness @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/jBYf4gpn4q
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023

Gonzaga 72, UCLA 63: The Zags are closing in on the Elite Eight. Malachi Smith has been HUGE in the second half. 2:00 to play.

ZAGS LEAD BY 10 🤯

22-4 run in the second half for @ZagMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Ol7mL4O0TX
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023

Gonzaga 69, UCLA 62: The Zags look fresh, UCLA looks tired and Drew Timme is unstoppable. Timme has 36 points and 14 rebounds with 3:30 to play.

Gonzaga 61, UCLA 59: The Bulldogs are playing with fire, starting with Anton Watson and Malachi Smith. Drew Timme has been unstoppable with 33 points and 11 rebounds, and Smith has 9 points and 5 rebounds. This is going to be a great finish. 7:45 to play.

ZAGS TAKE THE LEAD 🔥#MarchMadness @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/aUbrhixIRY
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023

UCLA 59, Gonzaga 54: UCLA looks tired. This is going to be a fun finish. Drew Timme has 31 points and 10 rebounds. With 11:31 left in the game. Insane.

2️⃣9️⃣pic.twitter.com/AmMrQWYOWC
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 24, 2023

UCLA 54, Gonzaga 50: Here come the Bulldogs.

UCLA 54, Gonzaga 44: Anton Watson just scored and got fouled. He'll be shooting a free throw coming out of the timeout. 15:25 left in the game.

FIRST HALF UPDATES

HALFTIME: UCLA 46, Gonzaga 33

UCLA's offensive balance and defensive intensity are giving Gonzaga fits. The Bruins have forced nine turnovers and have three players in double figures: Tyger Campbell (13 points), Amari Bailey (13 points) and Jaime Jaquez (12 points).

Drew Timme leads Gonzaga with 19 points. Hunter Sallis and Anton Watson have five points apiece.

Drew Timme is up to 1️⃣9️⃣ first half points! 👏#MarchMadness @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/KQYnJovx2A
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023

UCLA 40, Gonzaga 31: The Bulldogs are struggling defensively. UCLA is shooting 53% from the field and 57% from the 3-point line. Gonzaga is shooting well, but can't guard and has turned the ball over eight times. UCLA has scored 13 points off turnovers. 3:05 left in the first half.

UCLA 31, Gonzaga 26: The Bruins took a 10-point lead before the Bulldogs rallied with a 5-0 spurt that included an Anton Watson 3-pointer. Both teams are shooting the lights out, but the difference so far is Gonzaga has five turnovers and UCLA has just one. 6:59 left in the first half.

UCLA 22, Gonzaga 19: Amari Bailey is torching Gonzaga's guards. The freshman UCLA guard has 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and has blown past Nolan Hickman multiple times. On the other end, UCLA can't guard Drew Timme. With Adem Bona out, Timme is having a field day. He already has 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. 11:10 left in the first half.

😤 @HunterSallis_ pic.twitter.com/ygIUeDpwMA
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 24, 2023

Gonzaga 9, UCLA 7: The Zags have an early two-point lead at the first media timeout. 15:55 left in the first half. Drew Timme has seven of Gonzaga's nine points, including a 3-pointer.

INJURY UPDATE

UCLA center Adem Bona has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. The 6-foot-10 freshman averages 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.

PREGAME UPDATES

The tip off has been moved back again to 7:04 p.m. PT on CBS.

Gonzaga is huddling in the tunnel before they take the floor for pregame warmups:

The Zags are warming up in the tunnel: