On Tuesday night, the 6th Seeded USC Trojans went up against the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga came out hot in the first half playing great both defensively and offensively. Early in the first half, referee Bert Smith was stretchered off the court after collapsing. It was later reported in the game that Smith was alert and doing okay. The game continued with standby referee Tony Henderson who replaced Smith. Despite a stressful and chaotic first few minutes, both teams continued to show up and give it their all.
Gonzaga Head to the Final Four Undefeated
On Tuesday night, Gonzaga proved why they have a No.1 spot in the nation. They came out ready to play and were unstoppable; only allowed their opponents to score 63.7 points per game in the first three NCAA tournament games. This was Gonzaga’s fifth Elite appearance. At the end of the first half, Gonzaga was up by 19 points (49-30), the largest deficit USC has had this season. They really benefited from the turnovers that USC had made during the matchup. In the first half, Gonzaga scored 9 points off turnovers.
Gonzaga, known for being a great offensive team, came out strong on Tuesday night defensively. At the end of the matchup, Gonzaga had 41 rebounds, and USC only had 29. USC struggled to score in the field due to the intense defense Gonzaga played. Gonzaga came out on top scoring 50% of their points from the field, whereas USC only scored 38.7%. Throughout the whole game, Gonzaga held the lead, leaving USC trailing. Gonzaga won by 19 points on Tuesday (85-66). Gonzaga has now won 26 consecutive games by double-digits.
Drew Timmie, Corey Kispert, and Jalen Suggs Dominate
Sophomore forward Drew Timmie had a fantastic game against USC on Tuesday night. After the first half, Timmie had 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. By the end of the night, Timmie had 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Senior forward Corey Kispert also had a great night against USC. Kispert ended the night with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. Freshman Jalen Suggs was close to scoring a triple-double on Tuesday night. Suggs had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists at the end of the first half. When the game ended, Suggs had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, 2 assists away from a triple-double.
USC Shocked with the Loss
From the start of Tuesday night’s matchup, USC was struggling to keep up with Gonzaga. Despite shooting 57% from the field in their Sweet 16 game against Oregon, the energy was different. USC struggled to put points on the board. They ended the night shooting 24-62 from the field and went 4-15 from the three-point line. USC’s coach Andy Enfield said, “It was a little surprising, because we’d been playing great basketball.”
USC could not pull out the win on Tuesday night, but the Mobley brothers had a great game. Sophomore forward Isaiah Mobley had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists at the end of the first half. Isaiah only put up 8 more points with a slower first half, ending with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Isaiah’s younger brother and freshman Evan Mobley had 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in the first half.
Up Next
The Gonzaga Bulldogs remain undefeated and will advance to the final four. Gonzaga will go up against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, April 3rd, at 8:34 pm.
