Otega Oweh saves Kentucky in buzzer-beater, cats advance to Sunday

St. Louis, Mo. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – No. 7 seed Kentucky defeated No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 in a thriller on Friday at Enterprise Center.

Kentucky fans endured a dramatic finish in regulation. Otega Oweh tied the game at 70-70 with seven seconds remaining. Santa Clara responded with a deep 3-pointer to take a three-point lead with two seconds left.

Oweh answered with a long 3-pointer from just inside half court at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime tied 73-73.

Kentucky pulled away in the extra period for the win. Oweh finished with a career-high 35 points.

First half

Kentucky opened on an 8-2 run with two 3-pointers, but Santa Clara quickly answered and kept the game within one possession for most of the half.

The Broncos packed the paint, forcing Kentucky into outside shots that were not falling. Collin Chandler started 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Brandon Garrison provided an early spark, shooting 3-for-3 and scoring six points in seven minutes. Kentucky also found success attacking the basket, with 14 of its first 20 points coming in the paint.

Kentucky trailed 31-29 at halftime after committing seven turnovers, including three in the final 3:25.

Second half

A steal and dunk helped spark Chandler, who hit his first 3-pointer with 16:49 remaining. Denzel Aberdeen followed with another 3-pointer to cap a 6-0 run.

Garrison added a poster dunk at 12:56 to give Kentucky a 48-44 lead but picked up his fourth foul at 8:17 and went to the bench.

A 3-pointer by Sas Gavalyugov with 7:57 remaining put Santa Clara ahead 59-55.

Late in the half, Santa Clara went more than two minutes without scoring, allowing Kentucky to regain the lead.

The teams traded baskets down the stretch before Oweh’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer forced overtime, where Kentucky secured the victory.