UCLA Bruins guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Anton Watson (22). (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
College basketball Twitter had a blast reacting to Gonzaga’s thrilling win over UCLA in the Sweet 16 after the Bruins blew a big halftime lead.
UCLA and Gonzaga should meet every year in March Madness.
That was the consensus Thursday night as the Bruins and Bulldogs played another instant classic full of twists and turns the sweet 16.
Seventeen years to the day after Adam Morrison’s Gonzaga lost a heartbreaker to UCLA, the Zags retaliated with a logo three from Julian Stawther to win the game and advance to the Elite Eight.
Although UCLA went 1:15 in the Finals to clear a nine-point deficit and have a lead with 12 seconds left, the perception was that the Bruins blew it in the second half.
After all, they had a 13-point lead at half-time, only to go completely cold after the break. They went more than 11 minutes without a field goal.
The tweets wrote themselves.
The best memes and tweets as Gonzaga gets revenge on UCLA
Jaime Jaquez led the Bruins with 29 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three strals and a block in his last appearance for UCLA.
His efforts weren’t enough to offset an even more epic performance by Gonzaga’s Drew Timme. The tall, mustachioed man finished the tournament with 36 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
The Bruins will head home to reflect on what might have been if injuries hadn’t thinned out their roster. The Zags will face No. 4 UConn in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
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