Written by Ben Shpigel at New York Times.com
If Gonzaga was applying for a job, it would saunter into the interview, slap its curriculum vitae on the desk and kick up its feet. Here, look: 19 consecutive N.C.A.A. tournament appearances, two regional top seeds, a No. 1 national ranking, dozens of power-conference teams tamed, three berths in the round of eight and — oh, right, about that.
Year by year, Gonzaga runs out of accolades to garner, skeptics to disprove, objectives to accomplish. One that remains elusive is a trip to the Final Four, where the top-seeded Bulldogs will go this year with one more victory in this West Region.
In edging No. 4 West Virginia by 61-58 on Thursday, they did not play particularly well, or shoot particularly well, or resemble a championship contender in any way beyond displaying the tenacity demanded in the crucible of March.
That resolve guided the Bulldogs during wins last week against inferior teams, and they needed it again at the SAP Center, where West Virginia answered every basket or run or momentum swing with one of its own.
The final push came after Jevon Carter of West Virginia sunk a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1 minute 47 seconds remaining. Trailing by 58-55, Nigel Williams-Goss of Gonzaga made two free throws and, after the Mountaineers’ Daxter Miles Jr. missed two, Jordan Mathews swished a 3-pointer from the corner to put Gonzaga in front by 60-58.
West Virginia (28-9) possessed the ball for the final 37 seconds, missing two 3-pointers from Carter and grabbing two offensive rebounds before failing to get a final shot off before the buzzer. As the horn sounded, Gonzaga’s bench flooded the court and Coach Mark Few pumped his fist and bedlam reigned at center court while West Virginia’s players pulled their jerseys over their heads and processed the finality of it all.
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