ANAHEIM, Calif. _ In the battle between premium offense and defense, balance prevailed.
Texas Tech made its usual array of stops and mixed in just enough offense Saturday against Gonzaga to secure its first trip to the Final Four.
The third-seeded Red Raiders built a seven-point lead in the final minute and held on for a 75-69 victory over the top-seeded Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament West Regional final at Honda Center.
There were more than a few uneasy moments on the way to Texas Tech's most significant victory in school history, however.
Gonzaga twice pulled within two points before Bulldogs guard Josh Perkins was called for a technical foul while touching the ball while in possession of a Texas Tech player trying to inbound the ball.
The Red Raiders' Davide Moretti made both resulting free throws and Texas Tech was allowed to inbound the ball again. Jarrett Culver was fouled and made two more free throws to put the game out of reach.
Texas Tech (30-6) advanced to a national semifinal, where it will play the winner of the East Regional final between top-seeded Duke and second-seeded Michigan State.
Red Raiders forward Tariq Owens was heavily involved in the pivotal sequence, blocking a shot by Rui Hachimura and saving the ball, although replays showed he was out of bounds before making the save. Texas Tech's Brandone Francis was fouled and made one of two free throws to extend his team's lead to seven points.
Hachimura finished with a game-high 22 points for the Bulldogs (33-4), whose top-ranked offense was slowed just enough to keep them from a second Final Four in three seasons.
Owens was a big part of the slowdown, logging three blocks and one steal. Guard Jarrett Culver scored 19 points and guard Matt Mooney added 17 for the Red Raiders.
Gonzaga was vying for a tying basket with a little more than four minutes to play when forward Brandon Clarke lost the ball for a turnover while trying to back down a defender.
Moretti then buried a deep 3-pointer right before the shot clock expired to give the Red Raiders a 63-58 lead.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few was livid about a handful of calls, including what looked like a phantom foul on forward Killian Tillie while reaching for a rebound midway through the second half.
After Texas Tech completed a 6-0 spurt shortly thereafter to take a 53-50 lead, Few called timeout and delivered a few choice words as he stood face to face with an official.
Gonzaga fought back, eventually forging a 58-58 tie on Perkins' 3-pointer with 5:07 left. But Mooney answered by driving down the middle of the lane for a layup that gave his team the lead once more.
Few tried to establish a tone in the game's opening minute when he waved his arm frantically as guard Zach Norvell Jr. dribbled down the court, a gesture intended to quicken the pace.
It was impossible at times against a defense that made the Bulldogs feel like they were playing in mud.
Neither team led by more than five in the first half, when Gonzaga's vaunted offense sputtered at times but fared relatively well on possessions it didn't cough up the ball. The Bulldogs shot 50 percent, thanks in large part to one stretch in which they made eight of nine shots, but were flustered into nine turnovers, nearly matching their per-game average of 10.5.
When a whistle blew late in the first half as Clarke drove for a layup, Bulldogs fans roared in anticipation of a foul call and a possible three-point play.
Nope. The referee rolled his arms, signaling a traveling violation on Clarke. Gonzaga fans were incredulous.
"We need a makeup call!" one courtside fan yelled. "What kind of call was that, ref?"
It was harder to stop Hachimura, who scored in a variety of ways en route to 13 points in the first half. But the Bulldogs endured a scoring drought of nearly four minutes that Clarke broke with a dunk that gave his team a 37-35 halftime advantage.
