Recap and highlights: Connecticut rolls into Final Four with 82-54 rout of Gonzaga
LAS VEGAS – The comeback Zags finally met their match.
Drew Timme watched with foul trouble as Connecticut erupted at the start of the second half and ran away with a 82-54 win over Gonzaga at T-Mobile Arena.
The third-seeded Bulldogs’ (31-6) season ends in the Elite Eight.
The Huskies (29-8) opened the second half on a 21-5 run and cruised to the finish line.
Jordan Hawkins led UConn with 20 points and Adama Sanogo added 10 with 10 rebounds and six assists. Andre Jackson scored eight points with nine rebounds and 10 assists.
UConn advances to the Final Four in Houston and will play the winner of tomorrow’s game between Texas and Miami.
Gonzaga had one of its worst shooting performances of the season. The Zags shot 33% from the field and made 2 of 20 3-point attempts.
Timme, Gonzaga’s all-time leading scorer, picked up two quick fouls in the second half and was sent to the bench. He finished his final game with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
NCAA / Youtube
First half
19:32 – UC 0, GU 0: Huskies miss their first attempt after winning the jump, and the Zags miss a pair inside, before Watson is called for a foul in transition.
16:20 – UC 6, GU 2: Zags start 1 of 8 from the field, as Bolton misses a 3-pointer badly.
13:30 – UC 13, GU 8: Timme makes a pair of baskets, but is called for a travel at the first media timeout. Sanogo leads the Huskies with six points and three rebounds.
11:38 – UC 15, GU 12: Timme called for a second travel, but the Zags pick up their offense and cut the deficit to three points at the U12 media timeout.
7:53 – UC 19, GU 17: Neither team shooting well from the field, both about 38%.
Timme leads GU with seven points, while Strawther adds four. Sallis picked up a quick two fouls and went to the bench.
Hawkins has the game’s only made 3-pointer. Both teams combined 1 of 13 from outside the arc.
3:55 – UC 28, GU 25: Lead changes a few times, but the Huskies stay in front on a 3-pointer at the U4 media timeout.
Strawther commits the Zags’ fifth turnover on a miscommunication. Strawther leads GU with nine points.
1:18 – UC 36, GU 29: Hawkins makes a 3-pointer after a scramble for a lose ball and the Zags call a timeout. Crucial end to the half here for GU, with Timme on the bench with two fouls.
Halftime
Alex Karaban made a 3-pointer right before the buzzer to send Connecticut to a 39-32 point lead over Gonzaga at halftime.
Karaban leads the Huskies with 10 points, but Andre Jackson Jr. and Adama Sanogo have been the difference.
Jackson Jr. has eight points with five rebounds and five assists. Sanogo has six points, eight rebounds and five assists.
The Bulldogs shot 42% from the field, but only made 1 of 9 3-pointers in the half. They’ll need better play from their guards to complete another second-half comeback.
Second half
18:57 – UC 44, GU 32: Timme quickly is called for his third foul and the Huskies open the half with a 5-0 run. Gonzaga calls a timeout.
Second half couldn’t have started worse for GU, which now trails by double figures for a third consecutive NCAA Tournament game.
17:06 – UC 51, GU 34: Zags really in trouble now, as Timme is called for his fourth foul.
UConn on another 7-0 run.
15:50 – UC 52, GU 37: Bolton makes a 3-pointer to stop the run, but Gonzaga is staring down its most improbable comeback yet, with Timme on the bench.
14:44 – UC 58, GU 37: Alleyne makes a layup and the Huskies are running away with it. Timme likely will renter the game after the timeout.
11:31 – UC 65, GU 40: Zags haven’t hit a field goal in the last 4:51, just 2 of 11 from the field in the second half.
Huskies in full control to advance here.
7:16 – UC 75, GU 44: Not much left to settle. Huskies build a 30-point lead at the U8 media timeout, outscoring GU 36-12 in the second half.
3:28 – UC 80, GU 47: Final media timeout. UConn will advance to play either Texas or Miami in the Final Four next Saturday.
Pregame
One game from Houston.
Gonzaga and Connecticut meet in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament at the T-Mobile Arena tonight, with the winner advancing to the Final Four.
Tipoff is set for approximately 5:49 p.m., with the broadcast on TBS.
The third-seeded Bulldogs (31-5) are fresh off a thrilling 79-76 win over UCLA. The Zags came back from a double digit deficit for the second straight game and Julian Strawther made the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds.
The fourth-seeded Huskies (28-8) rolled past Arkansas 88-65 in the Sweet 16 and pulled away from Saint Mary’s 70-55 in the Round of 32, after trailing at halftime.
UConn swept its nonconference schedule, reaching the No. 2 in the Associated Press top 25. Things turned for the Huskies in Big East play, losing 5 of 6 in late December and January.
UConn recovered to finish fourth in the conference with a 13-7 Big East record and went on to lose to Marquette in the conference tournament championship.
Team stats
Individual leaders
Game preview
More on the Zags