Gonzaga Defeats UCLA 93-90 In Nail-Biting Overtime Game, Buzzer-Beater Sends Bulldogs To Title Game
INDIANAPOLIS (CBSLA/AP) - UCLA's bid for an upset over undefeated Gonzaga ended with a 93- 90 overtime loss with Jalen Suggs making a 3-point shot as time expired in a national semifinal game of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
UCLA students reportedly set fire to chairs along Roebling Avenue in Westwood following the defeat.
Jalen Suggs banked in a shot from near midcourt at the buzzer, giving the heavily favored Zags a 93-90 overtime victory against upstart UCLA, a move that will likely go down in the Final Four history books.
"I can't believe it. I can't believe it. It's sad to see," said a UCLA fan moments after the game. "No one saw the last shot coming. We were too busy cheering the tie."
Gonzaga, the No. 1 overall seed, will play second-seeded Baylor for the title Monday night. Those teams were 1-2 in The Associated Press Top 25 most of the season. The Bears manhandled Houston 78-59 in the other national semifinal.
Johnny Juzang scored 31 points for UCLA, including a tying basket with 3.3 seconds left. But Suggs took the inbound pass, dribbled just past midcourt, and launched the shot. It banked in after the buzzer sounded.
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What. A. Game. pic.twitter.com/9QqBLzolg5
UCLA is the fifth 11th seed to reach the Final Four, and joins the 2011 VCU squad as the second to get this far after starting in the First Four, the preliminary round the NCAA added when it expanded the bracket to 68 teams a decade ago.
Heading into Selection Sunday, the Bruins (22-9) were viewed as slightly better than a bubble team, but the First Four placement identified them as one of the last four teams in.
"I give them pointers and try to be honest and tell them how hard it's going to be because of who we're playing," said Cronin before the game Saturday, who has led UCLA within two wins of the program's 12th national title. "I'm not the false-motivation guy, because none of that is going to help you when you're trying to stop Jalen Suggs in transition."
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)