 |
| Zach Norvell Jr. celebrates with teammate Josh Perkins after his clutch triple in the waning moments, as Gonzaga held off UNCG in opening round of the NCAA Tournament |
Gonzaga 68, UNC Greensboro 64
Recap:
BOISE, ID--No. 4 seed Gonzaga survived scare from No. 13 UNC Greensboro, but held on to get a 68-64 win over the Spartans Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the West Regional at Taco Bell Arena.
With the loss, the Spartans conclude their season at 27-8, while Gonzaga improves to 31-4 and moves on to play the winner of the second game in the West Region between Ohio State and South Dakota State.
Gonzaga was led by a monster effort from Jonathan Williams, who posted 19 points and 13 rebounds, and was one of three Zags in double figures. Guards Josh Perkins and Zach Norvell, Jr. rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Zags, posting 16 and 15 points, respectively.
UNCG was led in the contest by three in double figures, with junior guards Francis Alonso and Demetrius Troy tying for team-high honors with 16 points apiece, while James Dickey added a double-double, with 10 points and 11 boards.
Both teams struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter, going a combined 8-of-45 from beyond the arc, with UNCG connected on half its average per game this season, connecting on just 3-of-22 from beyond the arc.
With the UNCG leading 64-62 following a Jordy Kuiper tip-in with 1:49 remaining, the Zags were able to get some clutch stops along with an key three-pointer from West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year Zach Norvell, Jr., which gave the Zags the lead back with just under a minute left, at 67-64, with 22 seconds left.
The initial Kuiper tip-in, which was a brief lead for the Spartans in the second half, gave UNCG its first lead since a 13-12 advantage with 9:49 to play in the opening half. Shortly before Newell's jumper from three for the lead, Williams tied the game, 64-64, with a jumper in the lane.
UNCG senior guard Marvin Smith, Jr. had a good look at a three with 11 seconds left, but the ball caromed in-and-out, and the ball was rebounded by Norvell with eight seconds remaining. He was immediately fouled by James Dickey, and despite missing four-consecutive free throws down the stretch after having been at better than 90% from the line in the final five minutes over the past 12 games, it was Norvell’s second foul shot that ended up sealing the four-point win.
In the early moments of the second half, the Zags would extend what was a nine-point, 32-23, halftime lead out to as much as 12 before seeing the Spartans claw their way back into the game.
UNCG opened the game leading for the first 10 minutes before Gonzaga began to figure out the Spartans stout defense. Gonzaga took its first lead of the game on a Josh Perkins three-pointer with 9:49 to play in the opening half. The Zags would extend that lead to as much as six moments (19-13) after a Jonathan Williams pull-up jumper with 7:55 remaining in the half.
The Zags eventually took a 32-23 lead to the halftime break, as UNCG went 0-for-13 from beyond the arc, and despite eight offensive boards in the opening frame, the Spartans ended the half with no second-chance points.
UNCG held the rebounding edge (39-33), but Gonzaga out-shot UNCG 42.4%-41.8% for the game. Kuiper and Smith both concluded their respective careers as Spartans.
UNCG senior guard Marvin Smith, Jr. had a good look at a three with 11 seconds left, but the ball caromed in-and-out, and the ball was rebounded by Norvell with eight seconds remaining. He was immediately fouled by James Dickey, and despite missing four-consecutive free throws down the stretch after having been at better than 90% from the line in the final five minutes over the past 12 games, it was Norvell’s second foul shot that ended up sealing the four-point win.
In the early moments of the second half, the Zags would extend what was a nine-point, 32-23, halftime lead out to as much as 12 before seeing the Spartans claw their way back into the game.
UNCG opened the game leading for the first 10 minutes before Gonzaga began to figure out the Spartans stout defense. Gonzaga took its first lead of the game on a Josh Perkins three-pointer with 9:49 to play in the opening half. The Zags would extend that lead to as much as six moments (19-13) after a Jonathan Williams pull-up jumper with 7:55 remaining in the half.
The Zags eventually took a 32-23 lead to the halftime break, as UNCG went 0-for-13 from beyond the arc, and despite eight offensive boards in the opening frame, the Spartans ended the half with no second-chance points.
UNCG held the rebounding edge (39-33), but Gonzaga out-shot UNCG 42.4%-41.8% for the game. Kuiper and Smith both concluded their respective careers as Spartans.
No comments:
Post a Comment