Live updates: Kansas vs. Gonzaga in 2024 NCAA Tournament showdown
SALT LAKE CITY - The 5-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs trail the 4-seed Kansas Jayhawks 44-43 at halftime of their second round NCAA Tournament matchup on Saturday.
The Zags jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead after three-straight scores in the paint from Graham Ike and Anton Watson, only for the Jayhawks to respond with a 13-4 scoring run out of an early timeout from Bill Self. Johnny Furphy got going with back-to-back triples, as well as a 3-pointer form Nicolas Timberlake, to put Kansas up 18-12 early.
The Jayhawks went 7-for-11 from downtown in the first half. They came into Saturday’s game shooting 32.9% from downtown.
Braden Huff provided a spark off the bench with a team-high 11 points at the break. The 6-foot-10 freshman helped spread the Jayhawks’ defense out and managed to slip a few dives to the rim in to keep the Zags’ offense afloat while Ike dealt with foul trouble. Gonzaga’s leading scorer played just six minutes in the first half and had six points.
Ben Gregg got the Bulldogs out in front again with a 3-pointer at the top of the arc, followed by a score inside and a dime to Huff to cap a 9-3 scoring run. Gregg had nine points in the first half.
The Jayhawks scored three-straight 3-pointers to end the half, though the Zags managed to keep it close with Huff and Gregg inside.
Gonzaga shot 55.9% from the floor and scored 1.344 points per possession. Kansas, led by Hunter Dickinson’s 13 points, shot 50.0% from the field but dominated the glass.
Saturday marks the third meeting all-time between the Bulldogs and Jayhawks. The first two meetings came in a season opener; Kansas won 80-66 in the 1998 opener, followed by a 102-90 win for Gonzaga in the 2020 Fort Meyers Tip-Off in Florida.
The winner advances to the Midwest Region Sweet 16 next week in Detroit. Follow live courtside updates from Gonzaga Nation reporter Cole Forsman below:
FIRST HALF UPDATES: KANSAS 44, GONZAGA 43
Kansas 44, Gonzaga 43, Halftime: Ben Gregg gets fouled and scores with 1.2 seconds left to pull Gonzaga within one point, but he misses the free throw. Zags down by one at halftime.
Gonzaga 33, Kansas 27 (5:11): Gregg gave the Bulldogs a spark with a 3-pointer to regain the lead, followed by a jumper and a dime to Huff to cap a 9-3 scoring run.
Gonzaga 24, Kansas 24 (8:00): A couple of defensive stands on each end of the floor left the Zags and Jayhawks tied at 24 apiece at the 8-minute media timeout. Stromer rose up to deny a floater from Timberlake, only for Watson to get denied on a dunk attempt on the other end.
Kansas 22, Gonzaga 18 (11:27): Adams Jr. finished an alley-oop pass from near half court to push the Jayhawks lead. Hickman nailed a floater from the baseline for his first points of the night. Both teams shot over 50% from the field to start.
Kansas 13, Gonzaga 10 (15:15): Jayhawks get going behind back-to-back triples from Furphy, followed by an alley-oop for Adams Jr. and another 3-pointer from Timberlake over Hickman’s contest. Watson got GU back on the scoreboard with a reverse-dunk on an alley-oop from Nembhard.
Gonzaga 6, Kansas 0 (17:54): Bulldogs get three scores in the paint to start. Jayhawks missed their first three looks from the field, and a turnover on an entry feed into Dickinson, on their first four possessions. Timeout called by Bill Self after a floater from Watson.
COLE FORSMAN
Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Nation, a member of Sports Illustrated’s FanNation network. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.