Otega Oweh buzzer-beater saves Kentucky from Santa Clara upset in March Madness

ST. LOUIS — The standout game of the morning session needed five more minutes to finish Friday, as No. 7 Kentucky fended off No.

10 Santa Clara, 89-84, in an overtime classic extended into the extra period by Otega Oweh’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer . A game that delivered perhaps the moment of the first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament set a high bar for excitement here in St. Louis.

Here are three reasons why: Broncos navigate rocky first half Santa Clara (26-9) battled early against Kentucky’s length and reach, particularly at the offensive end. Herb Sendek ’s team struggled to manufacture quality offensive possessions, at times flirting with fading away from their first-round matchup here in the Gateway City. But one of the country’s best rebounding teams locked in defensively, cleaned the glass with the same intention as its SEC counterpart and weathered that storm.

By halftime, no one was shooting the ball particularly well, but Santa Clara had managed to drag the Wildcats into a defensive struggle. Despite foul trouble that limited dynamic freshman Allen Graves, the Broncos nursed a hard-earned halftime lead, 31-29, into the locker room, in front of an outnumbered but enthusiastic band of Santa Clara fans making the trip east. Sash Gavalyugov arrives With Graves quieted by fouls, and Kentucky doing the same defensively to Christian Hammond, Santa Clara’s leading scorer, the Broncos turned to Sash Gavalyugov.