BASKETBALL
Suggs' buzzer-beating three sends undefeated Zags to NCAA title game in epic OT finish
Jalen Suggs called game in stunning fashion, draining a buzzer-beating three-pointer as Gonzaga clinched a jaw-dropping 93-90 overtime victory against UCLA en route to the NCAA title decider.
UCLA – the 11th seeds – had just tied the game with 3.3 seconds remaining thanks to Johnny Juzang's putback on Saturday amid the team's Cinderella run during March Madness.
With Gonzaga's unbeaten campaign on the line, Suggs remarkably nailed a three from 30 feet as time expired in Indianapolis, where chaotic celebrates ensued.
Advertisement
Suggs' epic heroics set up a blockbuster showdown with Baylor (27-2) in a battle of the top seeds in Monday's title game.
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 4, 2021
Gonzaga (31-0) – who have never won an NCAA championship, having lost to North Carolina in 2017 – will attempt to become the first undefeated national championship team since the Indiana Hoosiers in 1976.
"I've always wanted to run up on the table [after a game winner] like Kobe [Bryant] or D-Wade [Dwyane Wade]," said Suggs, who finished the final-four encounter with 16 points on six-of-12 shooting.
"Every day in shootaround 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 can't come to words right now.''
The 2 combined losses by @ZagMBB and @BaylorMBB will tie the fewest ever by the two teams entering the title game of the NCAA Tournament.The others with 2 came in 1957 (North Carolina-Kansas) and 1966 (Texas Western-Kentucky).— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) April 4, 2021
The two combined losses by Gonzaga and Baylor will tie the fewest ever by the two teams entering the title game of the NCAA Tournament, per Stats Perform. The others with two game in 1957 and 1966.
Must-Watch Video