Pargo scores 23 to lead Gonzaga to 85-82 win over Connecticut

BOSTON – Jeremy Pargo scored eight of his 23 points over the final 4:17 and No. 19 Gonzaga held off Connecticut 85-82 on Saturday in The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase at TD Banknorth Garden.

The junior guard made three field goals down the stretch, including a jumper with 1:43 left that gave the Bulldogs (7-1) a 79-76 lead. He missed two free throws with 1:12 left but made two 28 seconds later for an 81-76 lead.

A.J. Price sandwiched a basket down low and two free throws around one free throw by Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin to get the Huskies (5-2) within 82-80 with 21 seconds to go.

Gonzaga freshman Austin Daye, a 90 percent free throw shooter this season, made two at the line with 15 seconds left for an 84-80 lead. Price scored on a layup off an inbound pass with 6.7 seconds to go for a two-point game.

Daye was fouled again with 4.2 seconds left and he only made the first.

Connecticut came down with a chance to tie but Price's 3 from the left side bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Bouldin added 19 points for Gonzaga, while Micah Downs had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Price led the Huskies with 24 points, while Jerome Dyson added 19 and Jeff Adrien had 15.

The Huskies started the game by making seven of their first 11 3-point attempts against Gonzaga's zone and they led by as many as 10 points in the first half. Gonzaga took its first lead of the game, 45-44, on a 3 by David Pendergraft with one second left in the half.

Connecticut opened a 67-63 lead, but Bouldin had all the points in a 9-2 run that put Gonzaga up 72-69 with 6:38 to play.

There were four more lead changes the rest of the way.

Connecticut finished 9-for-28 from 3-point range (32.1 percent), meaning the Huskies missed 15 of their last 17 shot from beyond the arc.

Gonzaga started its Eastern swing with a 70-65 overtime victory at Saint Joseph's on Thursday night. The Bulldogs return home for a meeting with local rival Washington State on Wednesday.

This was Gonzaga's first win in three meetings with Connecticut. The Huskies won in the 1999 West Regional championship game and in the 2005 Maui Invitational title game.