With Gonzaga shots falling, the University of Phoenix Stadium clock ticking and the Arizona sun still shining but metaphorically setting on South Carolina’s season, the result of Saturday’s first Final Four game seemed like a foregone conclusion. The scoreboard read Gonzaga 65, South Carolina 51. The midway point of the second half neared.

It’s around that time, though, that the Gamecocks turn into the Comeback Kings. They cut the lead to single digits. Then to two possessions. They got to within two. They tied the game. And finally, incredibly, they took the lead. For the fourth time in five magical games, they had turned a second-half deficit into a late lead.

But for the first time in five games, they met resistance that was just slightly too strong. Gonzaga responded to the 16-0 run with a 7-0 spurt of its own, and held on down the stretch for a 77-73 victory.

The Zags will advance to Monday’s national title game to play the winner of Saturday’s second semifinal between North Carolina and Oregon. South Carolina’s surprise run is over.

Nigel Williams-Goss had 23 points to lead Gonzaga, which used a balance attack behind Williams-Goss to find its way through, around and over South Carolina’s stifling defense. Zach Collins had 14 points off the bench. Przemek Karnowski had 13. Jordan Mathews had 12.

Sindarius Thornwell, who had been ill earlier in the week, finished with 15 for South Carolina, but didn’t play at the level that he had throughout the tournament.

The biggest shot of the game for Gonzaga came from Collins. Down two after South Carolina’s surge, he stepped out to the arc and launched a 3-pointer. It smacked into the back rim and backboard simultaneously, died, and fell through the net.

Gonzaga regained the lead, and would never relinquish it.

It held on in part due to great defensive execution on South Carolina’s final possession. The Gamecocks got the ball down three with 12 seconds remaining. With under five seconds left and the ball in the hands of Thornwell on the perimeter, Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins fouled the Gamecocks’ top scorer. It was a textbook example of how to employ the ‘foul up three’ strategy. Thornwell did what he could — he made the first free throw, and missed the second intentionally to give his teammates a chance at an offensive rebound — but Gonzaga’s Killian Tillie pulled down the rebound to put the Zags in celebration mode.

The game opened with Gonzaga’s one big matchup advantage playing out as some expected. Karnowski, Johnathan Williams and Collins all scored in the first four minutes as Gonzaga flooded the paint on offense. Mark Few went to his twin-towers lineup early with Karnowski and Collins, both 7-footers, alongside each other. The Zags battled through South Carolina’s physical defense to carve out good angles for post entries, and had a lot of success inside.

South Carolina tried to play Gonzaga’s big men one-on-one when possible, but the double teams started to come more often as the first half wore on. The reason for South Carolina’s hesitance to bring help was made clear when it did, though. Both Silas Melson and Jordan Mathews hit 3-pointers off kick-outs. Gonzaga went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Williams-Goss also had an outstanding half, and an outstanding game, on both ends. He was particularly hot from midrange. He knocked down runners, pull-up jumpers and off-balance shots from 10-15 feet out, and made five of his six 2-point attempts. The junior point guard had 12 points at the break.

The one worrying moment of the half for Gonzaga came when Karnowski went up for a layup on the left side of the rim. He was rejected by South Carolina’s Chris Silva, and Silva’s follow-through caught Karnowski in the eye. He lay on the court for a minute before going to the bench, and didn’t return in the first half.

South Carolina kept pace with Gonzaga’s offense for much of the half despite a quiet performance from Thornwell. The senior star made just one field goal and had only five points. But Justin McKie, Silva and Duane Notice stepped up, and had the Gamecocks within two at 38-36 with just over two minutes to play in the half.

Those last two minutes turned out to be a crucial stretch of the game, though. Gonzaga closed with a 7-0 flurry, capped off by a Mathews 3, and went into the locker room up nine, 45-36. Karnowski returned for the second half after seeing an eye specialist in the locker room, and got right back to work. He scored on a putback, then drew a double and passed out to Williams-Goss at the top of the key for a 3 that extended Gonzaga’s lead to 11. Gonzaga would eventually push the lead to 14, but South Carolina responded, just as they have done all tournament. Silva completed a three-point play; P.J. Dozier hit a jumper; Thornwell drained a 3; Dozier splashed another mid-range shot. On the other end, South Carolina picked up its defense. Eventually, two free throws from Silva whittled the lead all the way down to two. Then Dozier tied the game: Moments later, two Rakym Felder free throws completed the 16-0 run. The Zags had a response of their own, though. Collins’ 3 squirmed in, and the favorites regained the lead. Karnowski scored two buckets in a row to push the advantage back to five. Karnowski looking to restore order for the Zags! #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/AZ4qrWv7Wl The teams went back and forth down the stretch, with Dozier, Thornwell and Silva keeping South Carolina within touching distance. Silva’s two free throws cut the lead to two. Gonzaga’s defense in the final two minutes, however, was outstanding. The Gamecocks got no clean looks at the rim. They got the ball down three with 12 seconds remaining, but Gonzaga smartly fouled before a shot could be taken. The rebound of the intentionally missed second free throw iced the victory, and sent the Zags on to Monday night’s national championship game. </s> PHOENIX (WNCN/AP) — Gonzaga held off a South Carolina rally to win 77-73 in the first of two Final Four games on Saturday evening.

The Bulldogs, who have lost once in 38 games this season, play the winner of the Oregon-North Carolina game for the national championship Monday night.

Watch the UNC-Oregon game starting at 8:49 p.m. on CBS North Carolina

Gonzaga, which reaches the final game for the first time in school history, was up by as many as 14 points in the second half.

But, South Carolina displayed more of its patented second-half magic in the NCAA tournament.

Down by 14, the Gamecocks came roaring back to take the lead with 7:06 remaining.

Their run reached 16-0 at that point before Gonzaga ended its scoreless drought.

The Gamecocks scored on six straight possessions.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga, so smooth on offense most of the game, went over three minutes without a score.

However, Gonzaga then went on a 7-0 run to come back and hold off the Gamecocks.

Before the Final Four game, South Carolina trailed at half three times in the tournament, and the Gamecocks have outscored the opposition in the second half by 54 points. </s> If your bracket is in shambles, you can blame these teams.

If your bracket is in shambles, you can blame these teams.

If your bracket is in shambles, you can blame these teams.

If your bracket is in shambles, you can blame these teams.

The champs are here! After defeating SEC rivals Mississippi State 67-55 in Dallas, the women Gamecocks basketball team returned home to Columbia in stormy weather.

The champs are here! After defeating SEC rivals Mississippi State 67-55 in Dallas, the women Gamecocks basketball team returned home to Columbia in stormy weather.

South Carolina forward A'ja Wilson (22) holds the trophy as she and teammates celebrate their win over Mississippi State in the final of NCAA women's Final Four college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 2, 2017, in Dallas. (Source: AP Photo/Eric Gay)

South Carolina forward A'ja Wilson (22) holds the trophy as she and teammates celebrate their win over Mississippi State in the final of NCAA women's Final Four college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 2, 2017, in Dallas. (Source: AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Gonzaga's Johnathan Williams (3) reacts during the first half in the finals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina, Monday, April 3, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

North Carolina's Theo Pinson (1) dunks during the first half in the finals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament against Gonzaga, Monday, April 3, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

GLENDALE, AZ (RNN) - North Carolina has won the 2017 NCAA basketball championship with a 71-65 victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Joel Berry II lead the game in scoring with 22 points, he played and gave heroic efforts through injuries to both ankles during the tournament.

Nigel Williams-Goss finished with 15 points, and a strong second half.

Locked in a defensive struggle, Gonzaga and North Carolina battled in a game full of poor shooting and a load of foul calls, with neither team shooting over 36 percent from the field.

North Carolina shot a dreadful percentage from three-point line, converting on less than 15 percent of their shots from behind the arc.

Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski had a tough game as he struggled with foul trouble and horrid shooting. He finished with only 9 points and shot 13 percent from the field, with most of his missed shots coming right at the rim.

Gonzaga held a slim 35-32 lead over North Carolina at the end of the first half.

North Carolina gave coach Roy Williams his third national championship after titles in 2005 and 2009 and a loss at the buzzer in last year’s championship game against Villanova. This will mark the 100th NCAA tournament game for Williams.

UNC’s return visit to the championship game for a consecutive year is a rare one in the history of the NCAA tournament.

Teams have only accomplished the feat six times before, including a Dean Smith-coached UNC team that won the title in 1982, after falling short in 1981.

The Tar Heels are basketball aristocracy, but Gonzaga has been a small-school challenger for years.

Gonzaga first burst onto the national scene in 1999 when the unknown mid-major made it to the Elite Eight. But the Bulldogs have never gone further until now. Coach Mark Few was an assistant that first year, took over as head coach the next season, and has taken the team to the tournament each of his 18 years.

Before this year’s tournament, Gonzaga had a history of not being able to defeat the nation’s top ranked teams.

With a core group of seniors and juniors, this year’s team has proven to be a formidable opponent for the Tar Heels, along with touting a record of 37-1.

Gonzaga's only loss came to Brigham Young in the final game of the regular season.

North Carolina is 32-7 against a tougher schedule, but both teams have been dominant this year. Both are No. 1 seeds and both have been ranked No. 1 in the nation during the regular season.

Both had to dispatch tough opponents on the way to the finals.

Big man Kennedy Meeks saved the Tar Heels with 25 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s 77-76 win over Oregon.

Guard Nigel Williams-Goss led the Zags’ 77-73 win over South Carolina with 23 points, five rebounds and six assists. </s> GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Gonzaga and North Carolina have turned their attention toward Monday’s national championship game.

The teams are holding news conferences and a closed practice at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday afternoon after both earned tough wins in the national semifinals the night before.

The Zags beat South Carolina 77-73 in the first game. Then the Tar Heels beat Oregon 77-76 in the nightcap.

Gonzaga (37-1) is in the Final Four for the first time, while North Carolina (32-7) is in the Final Four for a record 20th time. That includes last year’s run to the national championship game, where the Tar Heels lost to Villanova on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. </s> GLENDALE, Ariz. — Gonzaga weathered a furious second-half rally by South Carolina and held on to beat the Gamecocks 77-73 at the Final Four on Saturday night.

South Carolina reeled off 16 straight points to take a 67-65 lead with 7:06 to play. Zach Collins answered with a 3-pointer to put Gonzaga back on top and the Bulldogs held on from there.

The Zags never trailed again, CBS Sports reprots.

They’re now 37-1 on the season.

Collins, a 7-foot freshman, had an impressive stat line: 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks in 23 minutes of play.

Gonzaga advances to Monday night’s title game against the winner of Saturday night’s Oregon-North Carolina agame.

Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 for the Bulldogs. P.J. Dozier had 17 points for the Gamecocks. </s> GLENDALE, Ariz. — Gonzaga and North Carolina have turned their attention toward Monday’s national championship game.

The teams are holding news conferences and a closed practice at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday afternoon after both earned tough wins in the national semifinals the night before.

The Zags beat South Carolina 77-73 in the first game. Then the Tar Heels beat Oregon 77-76 in the nightcap.

Gonzaga (37-1) is in the Final Four for the first time, while North Carolina (32-7) is in the Final Four for a record 20th time. That includes last year’s run to the national championship game, where the Tar Heels lost to Villanova on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. </s> Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points, Gonzaga’s big men combined for 27 and the Bulldogs used some last-second strategy for a 77-73 victory over South Carolina on Saturday in a matchup of first-time teams at the Final Four.

The Bulldogs’ 7-footers, senior Przemek Karnowski and freshman Zach Collins, took care of things on both ends of the court as they combined for 18 rebounds. Collins also had six blocks.

Gonzaga (37-1) will face the winner between North Carolina and Oregon for the national championship on Monday night.

Williams-Goss missed a shot with 12.7 seconds left and South Carolina rebounded and called a timeout trailing 75-72. South Carolina passed the ball around and Gonzaga fouled Sindarius Thornwell with 3.5 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Killian Tillie rebounded for Gonzaga, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to cement the game.

Williams-Goss, a second-team All-American, led the Bulldogs to a 14-point lead in the second half but it disappeared quickly as the Gamecocks (26-11) went on a 14-point run to grab a 67-65 lead with 7:06 to play.

Collins and Karnowksi then accounted for the next 7 points, including a 3-pointer by Collins and a thundering dunk by Karnowski.

Still, South Carolina wasn’t done. The seventh-seeded Gamecocks scored 5 straight to get within 74-72 with just over 2 minutes left.

PJ Dozier led the Gamecocks with 17 points and Thornwell, the leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament at 25.8 points per game, finished with 15 on 4-for-12 shooting after starting slow.

Karnowski went down on the court in the first half after being hit in the face as he took a shot underneath the basket. He left for the last 5 minutes of the half, but Collins picked him up, finishing with 8 points at halftime.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks entered the tournament having last won a game in 1973. They had four wins to reach the Final Four, including victories over the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds in the East region.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs had made three Elite Eights without advancing to the Final Four.

Gonzaga meets the winner of the North Carolina-Oregon for the national championship on Monday night. </s> Seldom in life do we get what we actually desperately want.

For a year now — almost exactly to the day — all these North Carolina players wanted was a chance to redeem themselves, an opportunity to erase the heartbreak from last April’s national championship game loss. They wanted this: A title of their own.

And, somehow, they got just that, beating Gonzaga, 71-65, in Monday night’s national championship game here at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Tar Heels became just the fourth team to come back from losing the national championship the year before to go on and win it the following year. It is the third national championship for North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who has won all three with the Tar Heels and since 2005. It also gives him one more than his mentor, the late Dean Smith.

And this one didn’t come easy.

North Carolina's big men came up in the clutch. With Gonzaga trailing by three and looking to tie, Kennedy Meeks blocked a determined Nigel Williams-Goss and the play led to a breakaway and game-securing dunk.

And Isaiah Hicks, who struggled to find an offensive rhythm in previous tournament games, came up with a huge bucket with 22 second remaining. His 13 points and nine rebounds helped offset both teams' big men hampered by foul trouble, with the 'Zags' Zach Collins fouling out at the 5:03 minute mark.

The Tar Heels were plagued by poor shooting throughout much of the first half, shooting just 30.6% from the field and a putrid 15.4% from beyond the arc. The two players who carried North Carolina to the title game — Meeks and Justin Jackson — combined to score just 10 points prior to halftime.

But, much like their national semifinal win over Oregon, weathering the opponent’s storm proved to be more important than just about anything else. North Carolina, which trailed by three at the break, burst into the second half with an 8-0 run that forced Gonzaga coach Mark Few to call a timeout — which, in turn, prompted a roar from the North Carolina bench as the team gathered for a huddle.

Gonzaga’s strength — its enormity in the post — became problematic early in the second half as well, with all three of its bigs finding themselves in serious foul trouble, though some played through it.

The second half featured two teams teetering back and forth as if on a seesaw, a tight, nerve-wracking game befitting the grandest of the sport’s stages.

© Gannett Co., Inc. 2017. All Rights Reserved </s> GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points, Gonzaga’s big men combined for 27 and the Bulldogs used some last-second strategy for a 77-73 victory over South Carolina on Saturday in a matchup of first-time teams at the Final Four.

The Bulldogs’ 7-footers, senior Przemek Karnowski and freshman Zach Collins, took care of things on both ends of the court as they combined for 18 rebounds. Collins also had six blocks.

Gonzaga (37-1) will face the winner between North Carolina and Oregon for the national championship on Monday night.

Williams-Goss missed a shot with 12.7 seconds left and South Carolina rebounded and called a timeout trailing 75-72. South Carolina passed the ball around and Gonzaga fouled Sindarius Thornwell with 3.5 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Killian Tillie rebounded for Gonzaga, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to cement the game.

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Men's basketball Gonzaga defeats South Carolina 77–73 to advance to the title game on April 3.