In their national semifinal at the NCAA tournament on Saturday, Gonzaga closed the first half against South Carolina on a 14-5 run. That allowed the Zags to take a 48-36 lead into the half. It was almost 51-36, but Gonzaga’s Silas Melson got off a made three-pointer just a moment too late. This one was really close.
Gonzaga’s play to end the half was so good, this too-late buzzer-beater should count anyway
The Zags were clicking, even when it didn’t count.
It’s a shame this didn’t count, because it was brilliant offense. Guard Nigel Williams-Goss (No. 5) attracted a crowd of three Gamecocks on his way into the paint. He spun to his left and found Killian Tillie in the corner. Tillie is a solid three-point shooter, who’s 11-of-23 (48 percent) from deep this year. But the Cocks closed out quickly, so he found an open Melson on the wing. He didn’t miss.
This is coaches’ clinic stuff, even if it didn’t count. Melson got his shot off about one-tenth of a second after time expired, so everything here was just for show.
CBS
But it’s a good illustration of Gonzaga’s offensive precision in the first 20 minutes against an elite USC defense. Gonzaga went to the locker room shooting 58 percent from the floor. That’s brutally hard to do against the Gamecocks.
Gonzaga ultimately won the game, 77-73, and advanced to its first national title game ever. I think the Zags are about to win it all.
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