Oakland, CA (Basketball News) - Jordan Farmar netted 15 points and came up with a huge steal to set up Luc Richard Mbah a Moute for the game-winning layup with 9.8 seconds remaining in regulation, as UCLA bested Gonzaga in a thrilling 73-71 comeback victory in the Oakland Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
"Obviously, we’re real pleased to get the win," said UCLA coach Ben Howland. "That was a great finish for us. It’s really just a testament to the character, the toughness, the heart of our players to have the never-quit attitude. I’m really, really proud of them."
Arron Afflalo also tallied 15 points for the second-seeded Bruins (30-6), who overcame a 17-point deficit to win their ninth consecutive game. Mbah a Moute chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Ryan Hollins had 12 points in the win.
"You know, it was nothing particular," said Afflalo. "We just played with a lot of energy. Obviously, it was desperation time, being down 9 with three minutes to go. You have to bring it all out, start trapping a little bit here and there. Three minutes is a long game — a long time with only a 9-point lead, which is three or four possessions. We were very fortunate tonight."
Adam Morrison had a game-high 24 points for the third-seeded Bulldogs (29-4), who lost for the first time in 21 games to end the nation’s longest winning streak. J.P. Batista added 18 points and nine rebounds while Derek Raivio had 12 points in the losing effort.
"We just didn’t quite finish that one off," said Gonzaga coach Mark Few. "I mean, I’m really proud of how our guys came out. I thought we had a great approach and were the aggressive team for almost that entire game."
UCLA will now move on to face top-seeded Memphis in the regional finals on Saturday.
With Gonzaga leading 71-68, Morrison missed a jumper with 23 seconds left that would have sealed the game for the Bulldogs. Batista was caught grabbing Hollins on the rebound, who drained both from the stripe, to set up Farmar’s heroics.
The sophomore guard pilfered the inbounds pass and found Mbah a Moute streaking towards the bucket to put UCLA on top, 72-71.
Gonzaga had a chance to win and tried to hurry the ball up the court. The Bruins pressured beautifully, however, and knocked the ball loose. Mbah a Moute came up with the steal during the ensuing scramble and managed to get the ball to Afflalo with 1.9 ticks left.
Afflalo drained 1-of-2 to make the score 73-71.
Batista was able to coral the long inbounds pass and got a decent look but his shot came up empty as UCLA survived.
"Just trying to apply extreme pressure," Farmar said of his big play. "We’ve been in the situation before. We were down one, we needed to force a steal. We were going to foul if they got past halfcourt. We wanted to create pressure and get a steal. I picked it up, saw Luc was coming under the basket. Raivio was waiting up there so I had to put it up a little higher. Thank God Luc is 6’7" with a seven foot wingspan, so I just put it up there and Luc went to go get it and made a great play."
After a miserable first half, UCLA slowly climbed back in the game. The Bruins jumped out of the gates by scoring 11 of the first 15 points of the final frame to cut the lead to six.
Darren Collison drained a jumper, with a little under 16 minutes left, to cap the run and make the score 46-40.
But, Morrison answered and stopped the UCLA momentum dead in its tracks by knocking down a key three to ignite a 9-3 Gonzaga flurry. Morrison also capped the mini-run with a driving lay-in to give the Bulldogs a comfortable 55-43 lead with under 13 minutes to go.
The two teams then traded buckets for the next several minutes as Gonzaga held the Bruins at arm’s length. Raivio’s lay-in made the score 66-54 with just under seven minutes left.
UCLA then embarked its last desperate run. The Bruins scored eight of the game’s next 11 points to get back within striking distance. Farmar capped the mini-run with a long three to make it 69-62 with the clock showing 4:55.
After Morrison and Mbah a Moute traded free throws, Mbah a Moute put back a Farmar miss to draw UCLA to within five, 71-66, with 2:09 remaining.
Farmar then brought the Bruins to within three, 71-68, with a beautiful teardrop runner with 51 ticks left.
Gonzaga used a stifling defense to dominate the first half. The Bulldogs held UCLA to a miserable 7-for-27 from the floor in the opening frame. The Bruins didn’t connect on their first field goal until Afflalo hit a little baby jumper in the lane to make the score 18-9 with 11:17 left in the opening half.
The Zags continued to dominate and led by as many as 17 points, 37-20, after Morrison got loose for a lay-in with a little over three minutes remaining until the break.
Gonzaga took a 42-29 advantage into the intermission. Morrison led the Bulldogs with 12 points at the half while Farmar had eight for the Bruins.
