HOUSTON — Growing up in Poland, Przemek Karnowski had to stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. to watch the NCAA tournament.
Gonzaga’s big man got to star in the show in prime time Friday night, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds to lead the second-seeded Bulldogs to a 74-62 win over No. 11 seed UCLA in the South Regional semifinals.
The victory puts Gonzaga (35-2) in the Elite Eight for the second time – its first regional final since 1999. The Bulldogs will play Duke on Sunday.
UCLA (22-14) opened the second half with a 6-0 run to pull within 35-34. Gonzaga got going after that, scoring the next 12 points, thanks to the powerful inside game of the 7-foot-1, 288-pound Karnowski.
“For me it was always a dream to be here and to play deep into the NCAA tournament,” Karnowski said. “And right now I’m here and I’m trying to enjoy every second of it.”
Karnowski helped the Bulldogs grab six more offensive rebounds than UCLA, which Bruins Coach Steve Alford said was the key to the game.
“We didn’t rebound the basketball,” Alford said. “They got too many second shots.”
Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer raved about Karnowski’s work.
“He was a beast down there, just gobbling up offensive boards,” Wiltjer said. “It’s so easy for us, especially when we’re on the perimeter, to just throw it down to him and he gets a bucket.”
The Bruins, who lost in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year, were done in by a tough shooting night that included long stretches without scoring. They were led by Norman Powell with 16 points.
It will be the first trip to a regional final as a head coach for Gonzaga’s Mark Few, who took over the season after they last made it.
“The one accomplishment that we haven’t done is reach the Final Four and we finally have an opportunity to do that,” Few said.
DUKE 63, UTAH 57: Justice Winslow scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the top-seeded Blue Devils (32-4) held off fifth-seeded Utah (26-9).
Duke is going to its 20th regional final, the 14th under Coach Mike Krzyzewski – the most by any active coach.
Winslow is one of three freshman starters for Duke, a trio that includes standout big man Jahlil Okafor and guard Tyus Jones, who scored 15 points. Okafor had six points and eight rebounds.
Brandon Taylor scored 15 points for the Utes.
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