No. 1 seed Gonzaga barely survived No. 11 seed UCLA in Saturday’s Final Four. When push came to shove, the Bulldogs sent the Bruins packing with an incredible buzzer-beater in overtime to advance to the national championship game. The dagger delivered a 93-90 win in the game’s final second and came courtesy of freshman guard Jalen Suggs, who released a shot near the logo just before time expired.
Suggs finished the game with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, but the 3-point heave to win it was his only shot attempt in the extra period.
Because it was so good, here’s another look at that from a different angle.
The shot ended a frenetic sequence that started when UCLA’s Johnny Juzang made a bucket in the lane on the other end to tie the game at 90 points.
“Unbelievable college basketball game,” said Gonzaga coach Mark Few on CBS after the game. “We made a lucky one at the end, but I’m telling ya, he makes those all the time in practice when we practice late-game situations. He’s just got this magical aura about him. I knew when he shot it it was going in.”
Suggs’ game-winner was just one of his many shining moments in the classic. Late in the second half with the game tied at 77, Suggs recovered beautifully to swat a UCLA shot at the rim then delivered a dime in transition off the block to teammate Drew Timme.
With the win, Gonzaga moves to 31-0 and keeps its dream season alive to face No. 1 seed Baylor in the national title game on Monday. The showdown pits preseason No. 1 Gonzaga against preseason No. 2 Baylor, giving us one of the most anticipated matchups in national championship game history.