Zags ‘Elite’ for first time in 16 years

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.