Gonzaga sneaks past UCLA in OT to reach 2nd-ever national final
Gonzaga is one win away from a perfect season.
Jalen Suggs banked in a buzzer-beating triple from the logo to give the top-seeded Bulldogs a thrilling 93-90 overtime victory over UCLA in Saturday's second Final Four matchup.
Suggs' game-winning basket came shortly after Bruins star Johnny Juzang tied the contest with 3.3 seconds left in overtime.
"We made a lucky one at the end, but I'm just telling you, (Suggs) makes those ones all the time in practice. ... He's just got this magical aura about him. I knew when he shot it, it was going in," Gonzaga head coach Mark Few told CBS' Tracy Wolfson postgame.
All-American big man Drew Timme led Gonzaga with 25 points. The 6-foot-10 forward picked up a key charge in the dying seconds of regulation, and he took over offensively in the extra frame.
Junior guard Joel Ayayi also produced a strong performance for the Zags while pouring in 22 points, including 16 on 6-of-6 shooting in the first half.
While Gonzaga's NCAA Division I record of 27 straight double-digit wins ended, the Bulldogs have won a school-record 35 consecutive games. Their last loss was in February 2020 against BYU.
Juzang, meanwhile, nearly willed UCLA to another upset win. The Kentucky transfer posted a game-high 29 points to go along with six boards, two assists, and two steals in a losing cause.
"We went out fighting. There's no better way. There are no regrets. Everybody fought to the last play," Juzang told reporters postgame, according to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg.
The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers are the last team to go undefeated from start to finish. Gonzaga will look to keep its record flawless while taking on Baylor in the school's second-ever national championship game.
The two teams were supposed to meet in December, but the contest was called off due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Bulldogs' traveling party.
Gonzaga fell 71-65 to North Carolina in the 2017 national final.