No. 7 Gonzaga blows big lead, falls to No. 4 Kentucky 90-89 in OT
Dec 7, 2024, 10:24 PM
Brandon Garrison of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts after his basket against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during a 2024 game. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE (AP) — Andrew Carr had 19 points and No. 4 Kentucky erased an 18-point second half deficit to beat the No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs 90-89 in overtime on Saturday night.
Kentucky Wildcats 90, Gonzaga Bulldogs 89 (OT): Box Score
Otega Oweh converted at the rim in the opening minute of overtime to put the Wildcats in front 81-79, their first lead since early in the first half.
Amari Williams added a dunk, and Kentucky held on the rest of the way despite Nolan Hickman’s 3-pointer that pulled Gonzaga within a point with 5 seconds to go.
The Wildcats, who started the half down 50-34, tied the game at 79 on Carr’s jumper with 49 seconds left in regulation.
Gonzaga’s Graham Ike led all scorers with a 28 points and 11 rebounds.
Kentucky’s Lamont Butler didn’t play because of an ankle injury.
Gonzaga had a chance to score in the last seconds after Kentucky missed two free-throws in the clutch 😳
Kentucky hangs on in the Battle in Seattle ‼️ pic.twitter.com/Ll54Doyu8z
— ESPN (@espn) December 8, 2024
Takeaways
Kentucky: The Wildcats rebounded after a loss to Clemson on Tuesday in their first true road game of the season.
Gonzaga: It’s a sadly familiar result for the Bulldogs, who lost the Battle in Seattle for the third year in a row after falling to Alabama (2021) and UConn (2023).
Key moment
Kentucky led by as many as seven in overtime before Gonzaga, which had hit just three 3-pointers in regulation, went on a run of its own with a pair of 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 86-83. On the other end, Carr corralled an offensive rebound and got the second-chance bucket to put Kentucky up three.
Key stat
Coming into Saturday, Gonzaga had won 175 consecutive games when it led by double digits at halftime.
Gonzaga heads across the country taking on No. 25 UConn at Madison Square Garden in New York City in the Hall of Fame Series next Saturday. Kentucky will host Colgate on Wednesday.
AP Top 25: How far did Gonzaga Bulldogs drop after suffering first loss?
