Elite Eight Bound!

Friday, March 25

Chicago, Ill.

9:40 p.m.

Syracuse University

21-14

Gonzaga

28-8

GONZAGA

Syracuse

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

3/26/2016 12:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. - The No. 10 seed Syracuse used a 9-3 run in the final three minutes of the game to defeat the No. 11 seed Gonzaga, 63-60, in the NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinals on Friday night at the United Center. The Orange (22-13) advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 2013 season where they will face ACC foe and No. 1 seed Virginia on on Sunday at 6:09 Eastern time in the Midwest Regional final.

Down one in the final minute of the game, a layup by grad student Michael Gbinije put the Orange on top, 61-60, with 22 seconds left. With the ball in the hands of the Bulldogs in the final seconds, a huge block by Tyler Lydon and a subsequent Gonzaga foul against him put the Elizaville, N.Y. native at the free throw line with two seconds left. The freshman hit both free throws to seal the 63-60 victory.

The Orange overcame an 11-point deficit in the middle of the first half to take its first lead of the game 17 seconds into the second half off of a layup by Trevor Cooney.

Gbinije finished the evening with 20 points, while fellow grad student Trevor Cooney added 15 points. Junior Tyler Roberson grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds and added nine points to the mix.Lydon matched his season high with six blocks in the win, marking the second game in a row the freshman has tallied six blocks. Fellow freshman Malachi Richardson added 10 points, including a team-high two 3-pointers.

Trailing by one at halftime, 29-28, a layup from Cooney 17 seconds into the second half gave Syracuse its first lead of the game, as the Orange continued on an 11-0 run that started at the end of the first half to create a five-point lead at the 17:22 mark, 34-29.

A Gonzaga three knotted it up at 34 with 15:30 left to play, as the Bulldogs proceeded to take the lead back at the 13:18 mark with an old-fashioned 3-point play by Kyle Wiltjer, 39-36. The Orange stayed right with them, stealing the lead back approaching the 10-minute mark with a jumper by Gbinije, 44-43.

The Bulldogs climbed to a seven-point lead following a 10-2 run at the 7:48 mark, 53-46, triggering an Orange timeout. Cooney's first three of the game with 6:18 left to play cut the Gonzaga lead down to six, 57-51. Another 3-point bucket by Richardson made it a one possession game at the 3:25 mark, 57-54.

A pair of free throws by Domantas Sabonis, who posted a double-double with 19 points and 17 rebounds, put Gonzaga back up by five, 59-54. Syracuse came back to cut the deficit to one before Sabonis went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe to extend the lead to 60-58. The Orange took advantage of a lengthy possession that featured four offensive rebounds that concluded with Roberson going to the free throw line for two shots. After missing the first, he nailed the second to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 60-59, setting up the dramatic final minute of play.

Gonzaga jumped out to a 13-4 lead on an 8-0 run in the opening minutes of the contest, forcing a Syracuse timeout at the 16:14 mark. The Bulldogs maintained a steady lead 11-point lead heading into the last 10 minutes of the half, before a quick 7-0 run brought the Orange within four at the 8:22 mark, 21-17.

A 3-point basket by Richardson capped a 10-2 run that cut the Bulldog lead down to three, 23-20, with just over seven minutes left in the half. After a big dunk by Roberson, a pair of free throws from Cooney with 45 seconds left made it a one-point game heading into the locker rooms, 29-28.

Syracuse takes on No. 1 seeded Virginia on Sunday in the Midwest Regional Finals for a chance to a trip to the Final Four.