• Fans pack University of Phoenix Stadium lawn for Final Four

    Fans pack University of Phoenix Stadium lawn for Final Four

  • Shot Clock: Phoenix a basketball city?

    Shot Clock: Phoenix a basketball city?

  • Which seats in the Final Four house are still available?

    Which seats in the Final Four house are still available?

  • Oregon on what it would mean to win a national championship

    Oregon on what it would mean to win a national championship

  • UNC players talk about returning to Final Four

    UNC players talk about returning to Final Four

  • South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell on his illness and feeling better

    South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell on his illness and feeling better

  • Gonzaga's Josh Perkins and Przemek Karnowski talk Final Four

    Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins and Przemek Karnowski talk Final Four

  • Road to the Final Four means a lot of miles traveling

    Road to the Final Four means a lot of miles traveling

  • Top players to watch in the Final Four

    Top players to watch in the Final Four

  • Gamecocks explain what a gamecock is

    Gamecocks explain what a gamecock is

  • North Carolina on being back to the NCAA Final Four

    North Carolina on being back to the NCAA Final Four

  • Oregon on counting their blessings

    Oregon on counting their blessings

  • Gonzaga on rising to the moment

    Gonzaga on rising to the moment

  • South Carolina on their confidence and underdog status

    South Carolina on their confidence and underdog status

  • Downtown Phoenix gets ready for NCAA Final Four

    Downtown Phoenix gets ready for NCAA Final Four

  • North Carolina headed to Final Four with win over Kentucky

    North Carolina headed to Final Four with win over Kentucky

  • South Carolina makes history with Final Four berth

    South Carolina makes history with Final Four berth

  • Oregon advances to first Final Four since 1939 with win over Kansas

    Oregon advances to first Final Four since 1939 with win over Kansas

  • Gonzaga advances to program's first Final Four

    Gonzaga advances to program’s first Final Four

  • Piece by piece, the court for the NCAA Final Four tournament is put together in Glendale

    Piece by piece, the court for the NCAA Final Four tournament is put together in Glendale

  • Paola Boivin recaps Arizona's loss to Xavier

    Paola Boivin recaps Arizona’s loss to Xavier

  • Shot Clock: Arizona knocked out; Raiders moving to Vegas?

    Shot Clock: Arizona knocked out; Raiders moving to Vegas?

  • Kansas and Oregon set up intriguing Elite 8 matchup

    Kansas and Oregon set up intriguing Elite 8 matchup

  • UCLA's Steve Alford talks about playing Kentucky

    UCLA’s Steve Alford talks about playing Kentucky

  • No. 11 Xavier upsets No. 2 Arizona to head to Elite Eight

    No. 11 Xavier upsets No. 2 Arizona to head to Elite Eight

  • A closer look at Sean Miller's salary and bonuses

    A closer look at Sean Miller’s salary and bonuses

  • March Madness: Craziest faces of the NCAA tournament

    March Madness: Craziest faces of the NCAA tournament

  • Scoreboard installed at University of Phoenix Stadium for Final Four

    Scoreboard installed at University of Phoenix Stadium for Final Four

  • Media circus: A guide to March Madness

    Media circus: A guide to March Madness

When a double-digit lead slipped away, when coach Mark Few had to call time to settle his team, it wasn’t Gonzaga’s experience that saved the Bulldogs. It was a freshman.

Zach Collins doesn’t start, but at the end of Saturday’s 77-73 national semifinal win over seventh-seeded South Carolina, he was the best player on the court, pushing top-seeded Gonzaga one step closer to the school’s first national championship.

“Last night, I went to bed and I was like, ‘I have to make an impact, I have to be the player I know am,’ ” Collins said.

In front of 77,612 at University of Phoenix Stadium, this is what that looked like: After a furious South Carolina second-half charge, the 7-foot Collins helped Gonzaga lasso back control. In 23 minutes, he produced 14 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. He also blocked a season-high six shots, five in the second half.

“Those blocks were huge,” Gonzaga guard Jordan Mathews said. “The way he attacked the rim was huge. … He was big time.”

BOX SCORE: Gonzaga 77, South Carolina 73

Point guard Nigel Williams-Goss was just as big, contributing 23 points, five rebounds and six assists. Mathews added 12 points, all on 3-pointers. Gonzaga (37-1) on Monday meets North Carolina to try and complete a near-perfect season. Its only loss to BYU came on the final day of the regular season.

“One game away,” guard Josh Perkins said. “We’re not done yet.”

This wasn’t easy for the West Coast Conference champs. With just under 11 minutes left, Williams-Goss converted a 3-point play, giving himself 23 points and Gonzaga a 65-51 lead that started to look insurmountable. It wasn’t. After a timeout, South Carolina charged.

Chris Silva converted a 3-point play. P.J. Dozier scored on a curl move. Suddenly, the Gamecocks had scored 10 points in just over a minute-and-a-half (Collins was on the bench for part of this stretch) and they kept going. Silva had his shot blocked by Collins inside. He tried again. Collins blocked it again. Dozier, however, put back the rebound, tying the game.

BICKLEY: Gonzaga shows its heavy mettle

After an empty Gonzaga possession, Rakym Felder hit two foul shots giving South Carolina a 16-0 run and its first lead – 67-65 – since the opening minutes.

“That run they made on us, that just shows the heart of a lion that they have,” Few said.

Gonzaga answered with Collins. With 6 minutes left, the freshman flashed to the top and spotted center Przemek Karnowski, who had missed time in the first half with a minor eye injury, in the post. Instead of dumping it inside, Collins launched a 3-pointer that hit the rim and bounced in, giving Gonzaga a 68-67 lead.

“Very ugly,” said Collins, who had attempted only 20 3-pointers all season. “I don’t know how it went it, I’m just glad it did.”

REWIND: What we learned from Gonzaga’s win over South Carolina

Said South Carolina coach Frank Martin, whose team finished 26-11: “We’d battle and take a lead and a young man that’s not a 3-point shooter hits a shot that gets stuck on the back of the rim and then just trickles in.”

After his 3, Collins collected five rebounds and an assist the rest of the way, at times teaming with the 7-foot Karnowski to give the Bulldogs an imposing frontline. With Gonzaga leading 75-72 with 1:19 left, he also blocked his sixth shot, a short jumper from South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell.

“He’s a competitor,” Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd said of Collins, who scored only seven points in two games of the regional. “He’s not afraid of the moment. He’s not afraid of contact. It’s pretty impressive.”

Leading 75-72 in the final seconds, Few elected to foul rather than let South Carolina attempt a 3-point shot. With 3 seconds left, Thornwell hit the first free throw, but intentionally missed the second. Gonzaga’s Killian Tillie then hit two free throws to put the game out of reach and Gonzaga into Monday’s championship contest.

“It’s moments like this,” Collins said, “when I know why I chose to come here.”

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