Gonzaga holds off South Carolina in Final Four

GLENDALE, ARIZ. >> Nigel WilliamsGoss scored 23 points, Gonzaga’s big men combined for 27 and the Bulldogs used some last-second strategy for a 77-73 victory over South Carolina on Saturday in a matchup of first-time teams at the Final Four.

The Bulldogs’ 7-footers, senior Przemek Karnowski and freshman Zach Collins, took care of things on both ends of the court as they combined for 18 rebounds. Collins also had six blocks.

Gonzaga (37-1) will face the winner between North Carolina and Oregon for the national championship on Monday night.

Williams-Goss missed a shot with 12.7 seconds left and South Carolina rebounded and called a timeout trailing 75-72. South Carolina passed the ball around and Gonzaga fouled Sindarius Thornwell with 3.5 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Killian Tillie re-

bounded for Gonzaga, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to cement the game.

Williams-Goss, a secondteam All-American, led the Bulldogs to a 14-point lead in the second half but it disappeared quickly as the Gamecocks (26-11) went on a 14-point run to grab a 6765 lead with 7:06 to play.

Collins and Karnowksi then accounted for the next 7 points, including a 3-pointer by Collins and a thundering dunk by Karnowski.

Still, South Carolina wasn’t done. The seventhseeded Gamecocks scored 5 straight to get within 7472

with just over 2 minutes left.

PJ Dozier led the Gamecocks with 17 points and Thornwell, the leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament at 25.8 points per game, finished with 15 on 4-for-12 shooting after starting slow.

Karnowski went down on the court in the first half after being hit in the face as he took a shot underneath the basket. He left for the last 5 minutes of the half, but Collins picked him up, finishing with 8 points at halftime.

BIG PICTURE

South Carolina: The Gamecocks entered the tournament having last won a game in 1973. They had four wins to reach the Final Four, including victories over the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds in the East region.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs had made three Elite Eights without advancing to the Final Four.

UP NEXT

Gonzaga meets the winner of the North Carolina-Oregon for the national championship on Monday night.

DAVID J. PHILLIP — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss (5) celebrates after the semifinals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament against South Carolina, Saturday in Glendale, Ariz.

DAVID J. PHILLIP — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Gonzaga players celebrate after the semifinals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament against South Carolina, Saturday in Glendale, Ariz. Gonzaga won 77-73.