An NPR member station
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Gonzaga finishes with a loss to UConn in the NCAA tournament

Gonzaga's Drew Timme hugs his coach, Mark Few, as he left late in the game during the Bulldogs' loss to Connecticut in the NCAA Western Regional final.
Screenshot from TBS
Gonzaga's Drew Timme hugs his coach, Mark Few, as he left late in the game during the Bulldogs' loss to Connecticut in the NCAA Western Regional final.

The Bulldogs lose in the Elite Eight round in Las Vegas.

The Gonzaga University men’s basketball team has fallen one game short of college basketball’s Final Four.

The Bulldogs were routed by the University of Connecticut, 82-54, in the NCAA Western Regional final, the Elite Eight game, Saturday night in Las Vegas.

The Huskies led from the start, but the Zags crept back into the game and when Malachi Smith hit a three-point shot with 6:34 left in the first half, Gonzaga had its first lead at 22-21. The Bulldogs kept it close for a few minutes until UConn started to extend the lead, hitting a three-point shot right before the half to lead 39-32.

The second half was all Connecticut. The Huskies scored the first five points to go up 44-32. Gonzaga star center Drew Timme picked up his fourth foul with 17:28 left and went to the bench. From then, Gonzaga’s shooting went cold and UConn outscored the Zags 16-5 to stretch the lead to 60-37. Timme came back in the game, but by then, Gonzaga was in deep trouble.

Connecticut continued to extend the lead, going up 75-44 with 7:15 left. From there the teams played out the string.

Gonzaga shot poorly (33%, 20-60), especially from three-point range (2-20), while Connecticut hit 11 threes. Timme led the Zags with 12 points, Julian Strawther, the hero of Gonzaga’s Thursday night regional semifinal win over UCLA, had 11.

Gonzaga finishes its season with 31 wins and six losses. It shared the West Coast Conference regular season championship and won the WCC conference tournament. It was the final game for Timme, who leaves Gonzaga as its all-time leading scorer, and perhaps for seniors Anton Watson and Rasir Bolton.

One of the Northwest's most seasoned reporters is returning to his SPR roots. Doug Nadvornick will be heard frequently on KPBX and KSFC reporting on local news.