ST. LOUIS (AP) 鈥� Otega Oweh from just inside half court to force overtime, then hit the tiebreaking free throws in the extra period as the seventh-seeded Wildcats beat No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 on Friday in the first round of the
In an electrifying finish to regulation that defines the words 鈥淢arch Madness,鈥� Santa Clara’s Allen Graves drained a 3 from the right wing with 2.4 seconds left to put the Broncos ahead 73-70. Oweh received the inbound pass, pushed the ball up the court and pulled up to the left of the midcourt logo to launch his desperation heave. The ball was midair when the buzzer sounded, and it banked in for the tie.
鈥淎s he raised up, he said, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 a bucket,鈥� and then threw it off the glass,鈥� second-year Kentucky coach Mark Pope said.
Oweh said he was just trying to get the ball out of his hands in time.
鈥淚t’s March,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like that’s just what happens. You know, it’s crazy.鈥�
鈥淚 was just praying for it to go in. I was about to cry if he missed that shot,鈥� added teammate Mouhamed Dioubate. 鈥淚 was just hoping the shot went in. I didn鈥檛 want the season to end already.鈥�
Oweh scored a career-high 35 points and had eight rebounds and seven assists for the Wildcats (22-13), who will face No. 2 seed Iowa State, a 108-74 winner over 15th-seeded Tennessee State, in the second round in the Midwest Region.
Oweh鈥檚 two free throws with 1:12 remaining in overtime put Kentucky in the lead to stay in its 63rd NCAA Tournament appearance, the most in the country.
Brandon Garrison twice blocked 3-point attempts by Sash Gavalyugov in the final minute of overtime, following the first with a breakaway, two-handed dunk that stretched Kentucky鈥檚 lead to 83-79. His second block led to more free throws for the Wildcats.
Teammates credited the 6-foot-10 Garrison for suggesting in a huddle that they switch on screens, declaring that he’d be able to handle the matchup with the 6-3 guard Gavalyugov.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where you get this drama, I don鈥檛 know where you get this this transformation of emotions to just from despair to thrill to despair to thrill in a matter of four seconds,鈥� Pope said. 鈥淏ut we got that a bunch.鈥�
Christian Hammond led Santa Clara (26-9) with 20 points and Graves scored 17.
鈥淚t was a really euphoric high, followed by a tough one to swallow,鈥� said Broncos coach Herb Sendek, a 600-game winner making his return to the tournament for the first time since 2014 with Arizona State.
Graves put Santa Clara ahead 70-68 when he caught Elijah Mahi鈥檚 airballed 3-pointer and made the putback with 1:33 to play, just before the shot clock expired. After a miss by Oweh, Graves had another point-blank attempt that missed, and Oweh was able to scramble for the ball on the floor as Kentucky called timeout.
Oweh tied it with a layup with 9.9 seconds left to set up the wild finish. Adding to the fast-moving drama, neither team was granted a timeout in the closing seconds.
鈥淚 unequivocally called timeout. But they didn鈥檛 grant it,鈥� said Sendek, asserting that officials should have recognized that a coach might want to set up his defense after Graves鈥� 3-pointer. 鈥淚 mean, I think the video evidence is clear. And anybody is able to pull it up.鈥�
Santa Clara was seeking its first tournament win since 1996, when future NBA MVP Steve Nash was a senior.
鈥淚t hurts how it all ended, but I鈥檓 just thankful, man,鈥� Mahi said. 鈥淕od bless, I鈥檓 just thankful.鈥�
Dioubate scored 17 points for Kentucky. Denzel Aberdeen, a transfer from Florida鈥檚 national championship team last season, added 16.
Collin Chandler and Aberdeen connected on back-to-back 3s to begin a 13-4 burst as the Wildcats attempted to build a lead in the second half. Aberdeen鈥檚 second 3-pointer in the stretch put Kentucky ahead 51-44 with 12:21 to play, but Gavalyugov immediately responded with a 3 of his own to ignite a response.
After a high-arcing 3-pointer from Mahi, Gavalyugov hit a jumper and another 3 to put Santa Clara ahead 59-55 with 7:56 remaining.
The long-range shooting was quite the turnaround from the first half, when both teams struggled with matching 4 for 15 marks from behind the arc. The Broncos led 31-29 after closing the half with a 10-3 stretch that featured seven points from Mahi.
Oweh breaks a longtime Kentucky record
Oweh, a transfer from Oklahoma and the younger brother of Washington Commanders edge rusher Odafe Oweh, broke the Kentucky record for points in a player鈥檚 first two seasons. It had stood since the Wildcats鈥� 1951 national championship season and was held by All-America center Bill Spivey, who would later face point-shaving allegations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been life-changing. It鈥檚 a testament to the guys that are around me,鈥� said Oweh, who has 1,237 points at Kentucky. 鈥淭hat wouldn鈥檛 have happened without them.鈥�
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