Gonzaga falls to Purdue in Sweet 16, eliminated from NCAA Tournament

DETROIT — The Gonzaga Bulldogs' NCAA Tournament run has come to an end, falling to the Purdue Boilermakers 80-68 in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. The Zags had a big test in front of them, facing NCAA Player of the Year Zach Edey and Purdue, who beat Gonzaga in Hawaii in the regular season. The Zags got out to a 12-7 lead early thanks to a couple of three balls from Graham Ike and Ryan Nembhard. But Purdue would show why they are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, as timely three-point shooting from the Boilermaker guards helped Purdue gain a 40-36 lead heading into halftime. Gonzaga was able to keep Edey in check, holding him to 11 points and eight rebounds, forcing three turnovers from the big man. Lance Jones led Boilermaker scorers with 12 points. Ike and Watson led Zag scorers at the half with 12 and 10 points respectively. Purdue came out firing in the second half, expanding its 40-36 lead to seven points within four minutes of the restart (48-41). The Bulldogs responded with a run of their own, cutting Purdue's lead to one possession, but Purdue got its lead back up to eight points and did not look back. Purdue's single-digit lead quickly spread to double digits, as back-to-back threes from the Boilermakers made it a 14-point lead for them. Gonzaga had a tough time buying a bucket in the second half, and with Edey getting it going scoring wise, Purdue would prove to be too much for the Bulldogs. Despite there being a lot of Purdue fans in the stands, Gonzaga fans showed up and showed out in their own right. Gonzaga's journey for its first NCAA championship in school history will have to wait until next season. ►Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/4NewsNow ►Website: http://www.kxly.com ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/kxly4news ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KXLY4News