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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Final 4: Gonzaga 83, Xavier 59

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, center, holds a trophy with his team after beating Xavier during an NCAA Tournament college basketball regional final game Saturday, March 25, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, center, holds a trophy with his team after beating Xavier during an NCAA Tournament college basketball regional final game Saturday, March 25, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs left no doubt, beating Xavier 83-59 on Saturday to punch the program’s first-ever ticket to the Final Four.

Whatever shooting struggles plagued the Zags early in their tournament run were nowhere to be seen as the team shot 47.5-percent from the field and made 12 3-pointers in 24 attempts.

The Gonzaga fans who dominated the crowd were able to spend most of the second half in celebration, cheering when the Zags pushed the scoring margin ever wider and laughing at plays such as Josh Perkins steal that led to him dunking on an unwary staffer mopping under the basket.

The Zags won thanks to exceptional offense in the first half and even better defense in the second/Jacob Thorpe, SR. More here.

 



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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