No. 4 Kentucky found themselves down by as many as 18 points, yet the Wildcats made a comeback in the second half, edging out No. 7 Gonzaga 90-89 in overtime on Saturday in Seattle. Missing starting point guard Lamont Butler due to an injury, the Wildcats displayed tenacity throughout the game, particularly in the latter […]
No. 4 Kentucky found themselves down by as many as 18 points, yet the Wildcats made a comeback in the second half, edging out No. 7 Gonzaga 90-89 in overtime on Saturday in Seattle.
Missing starting point guard Lamont Butler due to an injury, the Wildcats displayed tenacity throughout the game, particularly in the latter half and during overtime. Andrew Carr was the standout for the Wildcats with 19 points, while Jaxson Robinson contributed 18. Otega Oweh scored 13, and Amari Williams added 12. Brandon Garrison came off the bench to net 10 points and grab nine rebounds.
Gonzaga opened the scoring, but UK quickly countered with a three-pointer from Kerr Kriisa. Following another Gonzaga three, Robinson hit one from beyond the arc, putting the Cats ahead 6-5. After the Bulldogs regained a 7-6 lead, a dunk from Williams gave UK an 8-7 edge.
The Zags then tallied the next six points to gain a five-point advantage. Oweh’s free throws narrowed the gap to three, 13-10. Following four consecutive points from Gonzaga, Garrison’s layup brought the score to 17-12.
Once again, Gonzaga extended their lead with a series of four points before Carr’s bucket made it 21-14. After a Bulldogs three-pointer, Carr answered with a spinning shot in the lane to make it 24-16. Oweh’s layup brought UK closer at 24-18, but Gonzaga responded with six straight points to stretch their lead to 30-18, prompting a timeout from Kentucky.
Ansley Almonor hit a three-pointer, making it 30-21. Following another Gonzaga three, Garrison answered with a triple of his own, pulling the Cats within 33-24. Garrison’s basket plus a free throw brought the score to 35-27. After two more free throws by the Bulldogs, Kriisa drained a three to reduce the deficit to 37-30.
An 11-2 run by Gonzaga pushed the score to 48-32 before Carr hit two free throws with 20 seconds remaining in the half. The Bulldogs headed into halftime with a 50-34 lead.
Gonzaga scored the first points in the second half before Robinson connected on a three, making it 52-37. The teams exchanged baskets, with Gonzaga extending the lead to 56-39 before the Wildcats launched a comeback. Oweh made a layup, Carr followed with a basket and a free throw, and Williams slammed home a dunk, reducing the gap to 56-46, which forced Gonzaga to call a timeout. The scoring continued after the break with a basket from Carr and two free throws from Oweh, narrowing it to 56-50.
Robinson then scored with a fadeaway jumper, putting the Cats within four at 56-52. This marked the completion of a 13-0 run that brought Kentucky back into the contest. Following a basket from Gonzaga, Koby Brea hit a three-pointer that cut the deficit to three, 58-55, with 12:16 remaining.
Gonzaga responded with two free throws, but Garrison’s layup narrowed the gap to 60-57. A three-point play from Gonzaga extended their lead to 63-57, but Carr scored again, making it 63-59. After the Bulldogs established a six-point advantage again, Carr’s basket reduced it to 65-61 with 7:39 left.
Following a Gonzaga free throw, Oweh tipped in his own miss to make it 65-63. Two more free throws from the Bulldogs brought the score to 67-63 with 6:06 on the clock. Almonor then hit a pair of free throws to bring the Cats within two, at 67-65.
Gonzaga scored again to make it 69-65 before Robinson made a layup, trimming the lead to 69-67. A Gonzaga layup and free throw pushed the score to 72-67 with 4:55 left.
Williams responded with a dunk to make it 72-69. After another Gonzaga bucket, Robinson sank a long two-pointer, cutting the score to 74-71. The Bulldogs scored again to extend their lead to 76-71, but Williams went to the line and made two free throws, reducing the lead to 76-73. After a defensive stop by the Cats, Robinson hit two more free throws to bring UK within one, at 76-75, with 2:19 on the clock.
The teams exchanged baskets, including another score from Robinson, bringing the game to 78-77 with 1:31 left. After Gonzaga converted one of two at the line, Carr sunk a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 79-79, marking the first tie with just over a minute remaining.
The Wildcats then secured a defensive stop and held the final possession, but Brea’s attempt at the buzzer fell short, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Kentucky began with a block from Williams, followed by a dunk from Oweh to take an 81-79 lead. After another defensive stand, UK saw Williams dunk again to extend the lead to 83-79, prompting a Gonzaga timeout. UK secured another defensive stop before Williams converted a baby hook in the lane to make it 85-79 with 3:24 to go.
Following another defensive effort, Oweh made one of two free throws to extend the lead to 86-79. Gonzaga responded with a three-pointer, bringing the score to 86-82. Another Gonzaga three cut the deficit to 86-85 with 1:50 on the clock.
Carr then executed a putback basket with 1:11 remaining, giving the Cats a three-point lead at 88-85. Gonzaga managed one free throw with 43 seconds left, making it 88-86.
Kentucky pulled ahead with a jumper from Robinson in the final moments, making it 90-86. However, Gonzaga converted a three-pointer with five seconds left, closing the gap to 90-89.
Carr was fouled with 4.3 seconds remaining. Although he missed both free throws, Gonzaga failed to get a shot off, allowing the Cats to secure the victory.
Kentucky’s next game is on Wednesday, where they will host Colgate at Rupp Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
