HOUSTON — Heartbreak City doesn’t refer to Houston, apparently.
After falling behind by 19 to Gonzaga, there was no late-game magic for UCLA this time, as the Bruins fell 74-62 in the Sweet 16.
The first half was hardly an example of top-tier play, as both UCLA and Gonzaga found themselves mired in simultaneous cold spells. Over about a five-minute stretch, the two teams combined to miss 19 consecutive field goal attempts.
That, combined with 19 foul calls, slowed the pace down dramatically and limited the scoring, working in favor of the Bruins who struggled with their offense all half. UCLA entered halftime trailing 35-28, but remained within striking distance.
Two minutes into the second half, the Bruins had nearly closed the gap. UCLA scored the first six points of the half to draw within one, before Gonzaga called a timeout with 18:02 to play.
Out of the timeout, the Bulldogs responded by ripping off 12 straight points of their own to build a 13-point lead, holding UCLA scoreless for more than three minutes.
Even after breaking the drought, the Bruins were largely unable to slow down the Bulldogs’ 20-4 run.
Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski did much of the damage in the second half, scoring 10 points and giving UCLA’s interior players problems on both sides of the floor with his 7-foot-1, 288-pound frame.
As Gonzaga dominated inside, UCLA responded with several missed layups, looking completely out of sorts offensively. The Bulldogs continued to feed the ball into the post and continued to see their advantage increase as the Bruins’ hopes faded.
UCLA hit three late 3-pointers to draw within 12 at the 1:45 mark, but time was working against them. As the seconds wound down, coach Steve Alford substituted his seniors into the game, with the exception of senior guard Norman Powell, who took a seat on the bench for the last time as a Bruin.
Powell finished the game with 16 points and five rebounds and the Bruins finished the season with a 22-14 record.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.