Zags ‘Elite’ for first time in 16 years

Przemek Karnowski had 18 points and nine rebounds as the Gonzaga Bulldogs advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 16 years with a convincing 74-62 win over UCLA in Houston.

Domantas Sabonis added 12 points and eight boards for second-seeded Gonzaga (35-2), which awaits the winner of Friday’s nightcap between No. 1 seed Duke and fifth-seeded Utah. Aside from Karnowski and Sabonis, no other Bulldogs player shot better than 36.3 percent from the field while the team shot a combined 3-of-19 from 3-point range.

Kyle Wiltjer had 10 rebounds and four assists for Gonzaga but struggled to eight points on 4-of-12 shooting, while Kevin Pangos missed his final six 3-pointers after making his first and finished with 10 points on 3-of-10 from the field. Norman Powell (16 points) and Tony Parker (16 points, 11 rebounds) were the top offensive performers for 11th-seeded UCLA (22-14), which got outrebounded 50-39 and didn’t make a 3-pointer for the first 37 1/2 minutes.

UCLA went more than six minutes without a field goal midway through the first half, but Gonzaga did not begin to pull away until shortly thereafter, when Byron Wesley scored five points during a 9-2 burst to create a 25-14 cushion. The Bruins opened the second half with six straight points to get within 35-34 before the Bulldogs answered with a 12-0 run, holding UCLA scoreless for five minutes to open up a double-digit advantage.

Beginning with about 12 minutes left, Sabonis and Karnowski scored 12 straight Gonzaga points as the lead swelled to 59-45. The Bruins made three late 3-pointers in a span of 40 seconds before the Bulldogs’ guards wrapped it up at the foul line.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Gonzaga dominated UCLA in an 87-74 road win when the teams met on Dec. 13. Wiltjer scored 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting in that contest - the Bruins’ only home loss of the season. … Bryce Alford’s 3-pointer with 2:20 left was UCLA’ first long-range connection of the game, extending the school’s streak to 521 straight games with at least one 3-pointer. … Wesley scored 14 points for the Bulldogs, who have never been to the Final Four.