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Rapid Reaction: No. 15-seed Saint Peter’s takes down Kentucky in shocking upset
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Kentucky’s season has come to a shocking, abrupt end. No. 15-seed Saint Peter’s defeated No. 2-seed UK 85-79 in overtime of the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Saint Peter’s opened up a 2-possession lead in overtime with 32 seconds left (81-76). TyTy Washington came through with a 3-pointer to keep the Wildcats’ hopes alive. From there, though, Saint Peter’s closed it out. The Peacocks made a pair of free throws to get it back to 4 points. Kellan Grady missed a 3-point attempt, which result in a Saint Peter’s rebound and another trip to the free-throw line. UK went 1-of-6 on free-throw attempts in overtime.
The overtime wasn’t a result of a collapse or a big comeback, but a tight back-and-forth battle for all 40 minutes of regulation. It was a 37-37 game at the half and 71-71 at the end of the second half.
The final 7 minutes of the second half were particularly exciting as it became clear Saint Peter’s wasn’t a team that would fade away after a strong start. The Peacocks took a 60-58 lead at the 6:43 mark of the second half. Kentucky then went on a 10-2 run, as it looked like the Wildcats might pull away in the final minutes. Saint Peter’s wasn’t done, however. The Peacocks rallied to retake the lead 69-68 when Doug Edert drained a 3-pointer with 1:26 remaining. Kentucky answered with a 3-pointer from Kellan Grady to make it 71-69. It was Edert, again, this time with a 2-point jumper to tie it 71-71. Washington attempted the final shot of regulation with 2 seconds left on the clock.
Kentucky’s loss comes despite star forward Oscar Thsiebwe’s 30-point performance to lead all scorers. Tshiebwe made it a double-double with 16 rebounds.
Saint Peter’s was led by Daryl Banks III with 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the floor. Edert had 20 points, going 5-of-7 from the field and 8-of-8 at the line.
Saint Peter’s shot 50.9% on field-goal attempts, including 9-of-17 from 3-point territory. The Peacocks were better at the line, making 18-of-21 free throws while Kentucky shot 65.7% (22-of-35). UK committed fewer turnovers (15-13) while recording more rebounds (36-35), steals (6-4) and blocks (6-4).
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
