BUFFALO – Shabazz Napier nearly won the game for UConn in regulation. He made sure he did in overtime.
Overcoming a game-long battle with feisty St. Joseph’s, UConn leaned on its senior guard to deliver when it counted. Napier scored nine of his team-high 24 points in OT to guide the Huskies to an 89-81 victory in a tight East Regional game at First Niagara Center.
Napier had just five points at halftime — a big reason why UConn trailed, 40-35.
“The first half went by so fast,’’ Napier said. “I was in the locker room and I was just telling myself ‘Man, I got to do something because my teammates need it. At the end of the day, this may be my last game.’ ’’
Napier made sure he plays on, as UConn (27-8) advanced to face the winner of the Villanova-Milwaukee nightcap.
Napier got help from backcourt mate Ryan Boatright (17 points) and junior forward DeAndre Daniels, who scored 18 points.
“We wanted to outwork out opponent,’’ UConn coach Kevin Ollie said after his first NCAA Tournament victory. “It took a little longer than I thought.’’
With less than a minute remaining in regulation, St. Joe’s had a 70-67 lead after two Chris Wilson free throws. Freshman Amida Brimah, a 7-foot freshman center from Ghana, scored from the lane while getting hit by Halil Kanacevic, who picked up his fourth foul, and Brimah made the free throw to tie the game.
Running the clock down, Langston Galloway (25 points) went one-on-one and missed on a bank shot, giving the ball to UConn with 1.9 seconds left. It was enough time for a perfectly designed play that freed Napier for a fairly uncontested shot, but it hit off the rim at the buzzer.
After a third-place finish in the regular season, St. Joe’s (24-10) captured its third Atlantic 10 championship — its first since 1997 — to advance into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008. The Hawks hadn’t won a tourney game since 2004 and nearly pulled off the upset.
“Sometimes in life you don’t get really what you want,’’ St. Joe’s coach Phil Martelli said. “If anybody deserved to keep playing, these guys certainly did.’’
UConn finished tied for third in the American Athletic Conference a year after the Huskies, on postseason probation, were ineligible for the tournament.
St. Joe’s put DeAndre Bembry on Napier, hoping the 6-6 Bembry’s length and long arms could disrupt the 6-1 Napier. In the first half, Napier went 2-for-8 from the floor, and though he did have four assists, he was not his usual creative offensive force. That changed in the second half.
Kanacevic, the 6-8 senior from Staten Island, took matters into his own hands with six consecutive points, using his unique collection of post-up moves in the lane. When he misfired on a 3-pointer, Bembry leapt for the rebound put-back to put the Hawks ahead 66-62 with four minutes remaining. Kanacevic, though, fouled out with 3:47 left in overtime as St. Joe’s faded and UConn took control.
At the finish, Napier hugged Galloway and Ronald Roberts, both playing their final game for St. Joe’s.
“When you work so hard for something and it goes down the drain, it saddens me,’’ Napier said. “I just wanted to show them my respect. Sometimes you fight and you don’t win the battle.’’