LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Nigel Williams-Goss scored 18 points as No. 11 Gonzaga nearly blew an 18-point second-half lead before beating No. 21 Iowa State 73-71 in Sunday’s championship game at the AdvoCare Invitational.
Josh Perkins added 12 points and Przemek Karnowki had 11 for Gonzaga (6-0).
Iowa State (5-1) got 29 points from Deonte Burton, including 21 in the second half.
After falling behind by 18 early in the second half, Monte Morris’ jumper cut the Iowa State deficit to 70-69 with four minutes to go.
Burton missed a 3 with Iowa State down 72-71 with 17 seconds remaining. The game ended when Morris’ shot that came after the buzzer rimmed out.
Iowa State used full-court pressure to key a 15-0 run that got the Cyclones within 58-55 seven minutes into the second half. Burton had 11 points over the stretch.
Williams-Goss ended the Iowa State surge with a 3-pointer.
Williams-Goss had 12 points and Karnowski chipped in with 10 as Gonzaga shot 64.5 percent (20 for 31) in taking a 49-34 halftime lead.
Over the final 3 1-2 minutes of the opening half, Karnowski had three layups and set up a dunk by Johnathan Williams with a nifty no-look pass.
Naz Mitrou-Long had all of his 16 points during the opening 20 minutes, when the Cyclones shot 38.2 percent (13 for 34).
BIG PICTURE
Iowa State played the invitational without Solomon Young, who could miss four weeks with a left hand injury. The freshman forward is averaging 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Gonzaga improved to 9-0 in the Thanksgiving tournament at Disney formerly known as the Old Spice Classic. The Bulldogs also won the event in 2008 and 2012.
UP NEXT
Iowa State: Thursday night faces Cincinnati, a team that received votes in the AP poll.
Gonzaga: plays Mississippi Valley State on Thursday night before a Saturday matchup against No. 8 Arizona.
Photo: USA Today
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