Drew Timme scored 22 points and top-seeded Gonzaga did against Creighton what it’s done throughout this unblemished season, rolling past the fifth-seeded Bluejays with versatile offence and efficient defence to win 83-65 on Sunday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Andrew Nembhard added 17 points for the Bulldogs (29-0), who have won a school-record 33 consecutive games and extended their Division I record to 26 straight double-digit wins.
Gonzaga did it this time on a quiet day for star Jalen Suggs, who finished with nine points. The Bulldogs methodically built a 10-point halftime lead and pushed ahead by 20 on Suggs’s layup with 11:22 left. The Zags will face sixth-seeded Southern California or seventh-seeded Oregon on Tuesday in the West regional final.
Marcus Zegarowski scored 19 points to lead the Bluejays (22-9), who were trying to reach their first Elite Eight since 1941, when only eight teams played in the NCAA Tournament.
As they have many times this season, the Zags led wire to wire.
Gonzaga’s fast start forced Creighton to call its first timeout a little more than two minutes into the game and within seven minutes the Zags already led 22-12.
The Bluejays settled down and fought back within 27-25. But Gonzaga answered with five straight points, took a 43-33 halftime lead and spent most of the second half pulling away.
Nembhard also had eight assists while Timme added six rebounds. Joel Ayayi finished with 13 points and eight rebounds and Corey Kispert had 12 points for Gonzaga, which shot 59.6 per cent from the field.
Denzel Mahoney added 13 points for Creighton.
Michigan goes to the paint to top FSU
Hunter Dickinson scored 14 points and the top-seeded Wolverines took the inside route to the Elite Eight, pounding away in the paint Sunday for a 76-58 takedown of surprisingly helpless Florida State. Franz Wagner had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines, who scored their first 30 points of the second half from close range to lead coach Juwan Howard and Co. to a victory in the only “chalk” meeting between a 1 and 4 seed of the second weekend. Michigan (23-4) moved to a regional final for the first time since 2018. The Wolverines will play the winner of Sunday’s later UCLA-Alabama game.
South Carolina advances to women’s Elite Eight
Zia Cooke and her South Carolina teammates were hot from the outside and rode that solid shooting to reach the Elite Eight. Cooke scored 17 points, hitting five of six three-point attempts, to lead top-seed South Carolina to a 76-65 win over fifth-seeded Georgia Tech on Sunday and reach the Elite Eight. “Our offence carried us today with our ability to hit layups and stretch the floor and hit some threes,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said. “Hope it continues to get better. You got some great programs here that can put a lot of points on the scoreboard.” It’s the third time in the past four women’s NCAA Tournaments that the Gamecocks have at least reached the regional finals. South Carolina won the national championship in 2017. After going scoreless in the first half, Aliyah Boston had the first seven points in the third quarter as South Carolina (25-4) went on a 14-6 run to start the period. That lengthened a four-point halftime lead to double digits. The All-America sophomore forward finished with nine points.
Stanford romps over Missouri State
Hannah Jump scored 17 points to lead top seed Stanford to an 89-62 romp over No. 5 Missouri State on Sunday, sending the Cardinal to the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the 21st time. This Sweet 16 rematch from Stanford’s win in 2019 quickly turned into a blowout. The Cardinal led by 23 at halftime and by as much as 38 in the fourth quarter. Stanford kept up its postseason barrage of three-pointers by making 15 against the Lady Bears. Stanford (28-2) has averaged 14 made threes over its three tournament victories. The overall No. 1 seed advances to Tuesday’s Alamo Region final against the winner of Sunday’s later game between No. 2 Louisville and No. 6 Oregon.