SALT LAKE CITY -- After starting slow in a first-round win over South Dakota State, it was the second half that put Gonzaga on its heels in a 79-73 win over Northwestern in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Zags had gone into the half with a safe 18-point lead after dominating the first 20 minutes, making Northwestern's Cinderella story look as though it was ready to close its final chapter. But the Zags returned to a Northwestern team that took advantage of nearly every Gonzaga mistake and miscue, clawing its way back to within six with a minute and a half to go.