No. 11 Gonzaga holds off No. 21 UConn 73-70

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Kyle Wiltjer scored 17 points, Eric McClellan added 15 and No. 11 Gonzaga held off No. 21 Connecticut 73-70 Friday in the third-place game at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

UConn's Rodney Purvis had a chance to tie the game but missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Domantas Sabonis added 12 points for the Zags (4-1). Gonzaga was 10 for 24 from the three-point line.

Connecticut Huskies at Gonzaga Bulldogs

For the second consecutive game the Zags played a crucial stretch of the second half without Sabonis. He picked his fourth foul with just over eight minutes remaining. That allowed the Huskies (4-2) to erase what had been a 21-point deficit early in the second half.

Shonn Miller led UConn with 19 points. Daniel Hamilton added 14 points and seven rebounds.

The score was 70-66 when UConn’s Miller got free for a dunk off a fast break to pull the Huskies within 70-68. Gonzaga added a free throw, and a few possessions later Miller got a floater to go to make it 71-70.

Coming out of a timeout the Zags ran down the clock and Kyle Dranginis tipped in a miss to give them a little breathing room. The Huskies came up empty on their next trip, but a shot clock violation gave the Huskies a final possession with 8.1 seconds remaining. UConn initially got the ball to Sterling Gibbs, but his attempt was blocked, leaving only 2.2 seconds.

College basketball in November: Overlooked, but very important

It was a much more one-sided affair in the first half. The Huskies did a much better job than they did in their semifinal loss to Texas A&M of finishing at the rim. But Gonzaga was efficient on offense in the half court, building a 16-point halftime lead.

The Huskies had little answer for Sabonis, who weaved his way inside UConn’s interior defenders. When the Huskies tried to slow him with double teams, the Zags passed on the perimeter to Wiltjer and Silas Melson. They finished the half a combined 5 for 7 from beyond the arc.

TIP-INS

Gonzaga: Outscored the Huskies’ bench 24-16. … Four Zags finished in double figures.

UConn: Shot just 1 for 12 from the 3-point line. … Held a 37-36 rebounding advantage.

UP NEXT

The Zags visit Washington State on Wednesday.

The Huskies host Sacred Heart on Wednesday.

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