Polish power: Karnowski leads Gonzaga to Elite 8

HOUSTON — Growing up in Poland, Przemek Karnowski had to stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. to watch the NCAA Tournament.

Gonzaga’s big man got to star in the show in prime time on Friday night, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the second-seeded Bulldogs to a 74-62 win over No. 11 seed UCLA in the Houston Regional semifinals. The victory puts Gonzaga (35-2) in the Elite Eight for the second time, its first regional final since 1999. The Bulldogs will play top-seeded Duke on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

UCLA (22-14) opened the second half with a 6-0 run to get within 35-34. Gonzaga got going after that, scoring the next 12 points, thanks to the powerful inside game of the 7-1, 288-pound Karnowski to make it 47-34.

“For me it was always a dream to be here and to play deep into the NCAA Tournament,” Karnowski said. “And right now I’m here and I’m trying to enjoy every second of it.”

Karnowski helped the Bulldogs grab six more offensive rebounds than UCLA, which Bruins coach Steve Alford believes was the key to the game.

“We didn’t rebound the basketball,” Alford said. “They got too many second shots.”

Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer raved about Karnowski’s work.

“He was a beast down there, just gobbling up offensive boards,” Wiltjer said. “It’s so easy for us, especially when we’re on the perimeter, to just throw it down to him and he gets a bucket.”

The Bruins, who lost in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year, were done in by a tough shooting night that included long stretches without scoring. They were led by Norman Powell’s 16 points. He made just eight of 19 shots while Bryce Alford went 3-for-11.

This will be the first trip to the round of eight for Gonzaga coach Mark Few, who took over the season after the Zags last made it.

“The one accomplishment that we haven’t done is reach the Final Four,” Few said, “and we finally have an opportunity to do that.”