Owehs buzzer-beater saves Kentucky in OT win over Santa Clara

ST. LOUIS — Kentucky looked destined for a first-round exit in this year’s NCAA men’s tournament. Then Otega Oweh intervened.

Moments after Santa Clara appeared to hit the game winner, Oweh rumbled up the sideline and launched a midcourt heave that banked through the net as time expired, forcing overtime in the first-round matchup. That was the lifeline the Wildcats needed in an 89-84 victory over the 10-seed Broncos.

Oweh scored a career-high 35 points and etched his place in Kentucky’s storied tournament history following Friday’s outcome at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

“I was really just trying to get a shot off and just not wanting the season to end, just locking in, trying to make the shot,” Oweh said.

Santa Clara (26-9) was seconds away from a win after freshman forward Allen Graves drilled a 3-pointer with just 2.4 seconds remaining. After battling foul trouble in the first half, Graves nearly willed the Broncos into the second round, scoring his team’s final 11 points in regulation, and knowing his potential game winner was good the moment it left his hand.

But Oweh, much like he did for most of the second half, refused to let Santa Clara stamp its authority on the contest in a game that was close for its entirety. Each time one team built a bit of momentum, the other rallied.

Oweh actually tied the game twice in the final 10 seconds of regulation. First, he hit a layup that tied the score at 70. Then he answered Graves’ 3-pointer with the one that extended the game for an additional five minutes.

“I was nervous with the trajectory,” said Kentucky coach Mark Pope. “But then when it hit the glass in exactly the right spot, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is beautiful. It’s awesome.'”

The ending was not without a bit of controversy, however. After Graves hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in regulation, Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek tried to call a timeout. However, the request was not spotted and lost amid the noise and chaos of Graves’ 3-pointer in the arena.

“I unequivocally called timeout,” Sendek said. “But they didn’t grant it. I think the video evidence is clear. And anybody is able to pull it up.

“[It] is a likely response after Allen hits the 3, that the coach would be calling timeout to set the defense, which I tried to do and I was successful in doing — other than it wasn’t acknowledged or recognized.”

Santa Clara senior forward Elijah Mahi scored a team-high 20 points. Graves added 17 off the bench, with 13 of those coming int he second half.

Santa Clara made its first tournament appearance since 1996, when Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash was with the Broncos. And despite the finish, Sendek still took pride in the season and being able to coach in front of his 92-year-old father, Herb Sendek Sr., who saw his son coach in person for the first time in six years.

But Kentucky (22-13) and Pope were the ones that made the plays in overtime to move one step closer to making it to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

And for a team that struggled down the stretch of the regular season, the Wildcats were able to rally one more time to keep their season rolling.

“We’ve had moments like this throughout the year, where guys had to get back up and do it,” Pope said. “I love it. And the fact that we got to do it in an NCAA tournament is special.”

Kentucky will now face No. 2 seed Iowa State, a 108-74 winner over 15th-seeded Tennessee State, in the second round in the Midwest Region.