NCAA Tournament: Julian Strawther 3-pointer lifts Gonzaga to 79-76 win over UCLA
LAS VEGAS — Gonzaga junior Julian Strawther hit the shot of his life - in his hometown.
After Amari Bailey put the UCLA Bruins ahead 76-75 with 14 seconds left, Strawther drilled a dead-center three-pointer to give Gonzaga a 78-76 lead - and eventually a 79-76 win - in one of the greatest Sweet 16 games of all-time. UCLA's Tyger Campbell missed on a three-pointer just before time expired to clinch the Zags' win.
Drew Timme scored a game-high 36 points and Gonzaga needed every last one. His only missteps were missing two free throws late that allowed UCLA to claw back.
Strawther, who starred locally at Liberty High School, finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Ahead of the Bulldogs and Bruins' Sweet 16 showdown, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said of Timme: "He's been remarkably consistent his entire career. He just delivers."
Boy did he ever on Thursday night.
One sequence summed up Timme's night perfectly. Following a Gonzaga miss, he raced to track down the offensive rebound outside of the three-point arc before finding Strawther for a three-pointer, which put the Bulldogs ahead 68-62. Timme was everywhere.
Malachi Smith finished with 14 points for Gonzaga and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a team-high 29 points for UCLA.
Gonzaga overcame a 13-point first-half deficit and held UCLA without a field goal for more than 11 minutes in the second half.
The Bruins were missing two starters due to injury. Guard Jaylen Clark, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and center Adem Bona both did not play for the Bruins.
In the first half, UCLA put up 46 points, the same amount the team scored in its 86-53 first-round win over UNC Asheville. Bailey, Campbell and Jaquez all scored in double figures in the first half for the Bruins, who led 46-33 at the break. Timme had 19 points at halftime, but no other Bulldog had over five points in the first 20 minutes. UCLA closed the first half on a 15-4 run.
Remarkably, the Bulldogs bounced back in the second half to win a classic.
Gonzaga moves on to play in the Elite 8, where they will take on UConn on Saturday after the Huskies blew out Arkansas 88-65.
PHOTO GALLERY
(All photos by Joe Camporeale and Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)
