SPORTS - NCAA Basketball Sweet 16 UCLA vs. Gonzaga

This one goes one way or the other. Either the Zag's offense carries the day or the Bruins defense shuts it down. UCLA's guards, Farmar and Alflalo, plus the Bruins' size inside with Hollins will be tough to stop.

We both like UCLA here.

Half time update: Gonzaga 42 UCLA 29

UCLA didn't hit a field goal for the first 8 mintues of the game and Gonzaga raced out to an early 15-5 lead. The Bruins were kept in the game only by their free throw shooting, hitting 13 of 15 in the half. Gonzaga had 10 freebies of their own however and shot 54%.

A total of 24 fouls were assessed in the half, but the Bruins repeatedly failed to penetrate the Zags' 2-1-2 zone defense and uncharacteristically allowed a big half for the opposition.

Adam Morrison and J. P. Batista led the way with 12 and 10.

Recap: UCLA 73 Gonzaga 71

For most of the game, Gonzaga's Adam Morrison, the nation's leading scorer, played like a winner and talked trash. But when the buzzer sounded, Morrison was left crying in a heap at midcourt.

UCLA, which had been down by as many as 17 points, rallied for a thrilling final-seconds win to advance to the Oakland Region Finals against Memphis. The Bruins scored the final 11 points of the game as their defensive pressure finally took its toll.

The Bruins were completely out of sorts in the first half, not registering a field goal for the first 8 minutes of the game while Gonzaga built a commanding lead. At the half, the Zags were up 42-13.

UCLA, led by Jordan Farmar and Aaron Afflalo, who each scored 15 points, never gave up, whittling down Gonzaga's lead in the final three minutes. Quiet heroes on the inside, freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12 points and 10 rebounds) and Ryan Hollins (12 and 8), played fearlessly in the paint, denying the Zag's scoring opportunities and clearing the boards effectively.

Mbah a Moute scored six of the final 11 points, including the winning basket with under 5 seconds left, after Farmar stripped Gonzaga's J. P. Batista and fed the ball to the waiting frosh under the basket.

After the made shot, Mbah a Moute stole the ball near mid-court and was tied up by the Zag's Derek Raivio. The possession arrow pointed to the Bruins and Afflalo, who was fouled on the inbounds pass, made one of two free throws.

Batista had a shot as time expired, but his attempt banged off the backboard and pandemonium prevailed in Oakland.

Morrison was the top scorer in the game with 24 points on 10-17 shooting and finished the season as the nation's leading scorer. Duke's J. J. Reddick, a dogged competitor all year, ended with just 11 points in their loss to LSU.