Both teams went cold from outside but Gonzaga was dominated the glass, leading to consistent points in the paint.
Williams-Goss meanwhile said Gonzaga had been motivated by pre-match talk from SC that they might be paralyzed by nerves.
Instead, Josh Perkins waited until the 3.5-second mark to foul Sindarius Thornwell. "We always want to foul under 6 (seconds)".
"I've had some really, really tough teams", Few said.
Thornwell made the first shot.
This game got off to a surprisingly fast start.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks entered the tournament having last won a game in 1973.
The No. 1 seeded Bulldogs and No. 7 Gamecocks battled to the end in a squeaker in the first of two , games at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
Berry rolled his right ankle when he landed awkwardly on a 3-point shot in the second half of a blowout win against Texas Southern in the first round. The NCAA's ongoing probe of the Tar Heels is tied to irregularities in an academic department and led to five broad-based charges against the school that include lack of institutional control. Despite the deficit in the second half, they never quit and came up just short.
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Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting and pulled down six rebounds and freshman Zach Collins added 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks in 23 minutes for Gonzaga, which led by as many as 14-point in the second half.
Give Gonzaga credit for battling back and not letting SC have a big night shooting the ball. This had been the Gamecocks' habit throughout the postseason. They went on a 14-5 run to end the first half and went into the break with a 45-36 lead.
South Carolina's run through the NCAA Tournament saw them upsetting second-seeded Duke in the second round before beating third-seeded Baylor by 20 points.
They'd hold on for dear life coming down the stretch. But we don't lay there.
This national championship trophy will not be going back to Columbia, South Carolina. The 3-pointer certainly wasn't his flashiest play of the game, but may have been the most momentous. Collins was even better, with 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks. "So every game I try to do the same thing, just try to rim protect without fouling", Collins said.
Karnowski went down on the court in the first half after being hit in the face as he took a shot underneath the basket. SC had rallied from a halftime deficit to win in four of their previous five tournament games.
"I was 100 percent", Thornwell said.
They will meet the victor of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Oregon Ducks, who are playing now from University of Phoenix Stadium.
The program that is labeled a mid-major and acts and plays like a major, seeks to finish the deal and give Few one more opportunity to turn a handstand in the locker room.
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