Buzzer Beater Keeps Gonzaga Perfect

INDIANAPOLIS — Before last night, there had not been a buzzer beater in any of the 45 NCAA tournament games.

But Gonzaga’s 6-5 freshman point guard Jalen Suggs changed all that, putting an exclamation point on what was a night to remember for the Zag faithful when the kid from Minnesota banked in a shot from just inside the midcourt stripe at the buzzer to give Gonzaga a 93-90 overtime victory against UCLA at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Only 8,200 fans got to watch this one shining moment live, but it was a shot heard round the basketball world because it put the 31-0 Zags one game away from a perfect season. The Zags have a date with destiny Monday night when they play second-ranked Baylor for the national championship.

“Every day in shoot around before the game we shoot half courters,’’ Suggs said. “I haven’t been making my half courters, but I got it with confidence, put it up. It’s crazy. I still can’t speak. I can’t believe that happened. I don’t think it’s really going to hit me until I wake up tomorrow.’’

Gonzaga coach Mark Few tried to sum up greatness. “He makes that shot all the time,’’ Few said. “I knew it was going in as soon as it left his hand.’’

When the shot went in, Suggs ran to the mostly empty press row, jumped up and pumped his fists a few times in victory. The refs checked to make sure he got the shot off before the buzzer sounded then ended the suspense. “I always wanted to jump on the press table like Kobe or D-Wade,’’ Suggs said. “It’s something you practice on mini-hoops on in gym as a kid, but I never think it’s going to happen in a game like this.’’

Gonzaga now has a matchup with against the second-ranked team they were originally supposed to play Dec. 5 before Covid canceled the game.

The Zags are attempting to be the first time since Bob Knight’s 1976 Indiana team to finish the season undefeated.

But first, they will have to catch their breath. This game featured 15 ties and 19 lead changes, and an 11th seeded UCLA that would not give in to the pressure of the moment. The Bruins (22-10), who were creating their NCAA memories advancing from the First to the Final Four, were the first team to lead Gonzaga in the second half of the tournament and had a chance to win the game in regulation.

With the game tied at 81, guard Johnny Juzang took the ball hard to the rim in the final seconds when Zags’ center Drew Timme, playing with four personals, stepped into the paint and took a charge with 1.1 seconds to play. Gonzaga attempted a length of the court pass that didn’t connect as time ran out, forcing overtime. Five minutes later, Suggs sent down a shot reminiscent of Christian Laettner’s miracle shot against Kentucky in the 1992 East Region finals.

This was an offensive masterpiece for both teams. Timme scored 25 points for the Zags. Guard Joel Ayayi had 22 and Suggs finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. The Zags shot 58.7 percent.

UCLA, which shot 57.6 percent, probably deserved better. The Bruins had to win five games to advance to this moment. This was their third overtime game of the tournament, but they never lost their legs in an up tempo game or gave into exhaustion.

Juzang led the Bruins with 29 points, torching the Zags from mid-range.  Who knows what might have happened if he had pulled up for a jump shot on that final possession of regulation? Jamie Jaquez scored 19 points and tying the game at 81-81 with 43 seconds to play.

It looked like Timme would take the game over in overtime, scoring the first three baskets to give the Zags an 87-83 lead. But the Bruins kept coming back, tying the game on a put back by Juzang with 3.3 seconds left. Few didn’t call timeout and Suggs took the inbounds pass, and blew to half court before launching a bomb that exploded into the nets.

“Nobody lost this game, UCLA just ran out of time,’’ CBS analyst Clark Kellogg said, giving both Gonzaga and UCLA a standing ovation on the post-game show.