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CLEVELAND (AP) -- Kentucky's rich past didn't mean a thing once
the game started. But in the end, it mattered most of all.
Forced to play two overtimes for the first time in its NCAA
Tournament history, fifth-seeded Kentucky avoided an early exit
with an 85-80 victory over 12th-seeded St. Bonaventure on Thursday
in the first round of the Midwest Regional.
"We deal with a lot of pressure at the University of
Kentucky," Wildcats coach Tubby Smith said. "This is a big one,
but no bigger than the next one."
Kentucky, college basketball's winningest program, hasn't been
itself all season.
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Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince finally became the assertive player he was billed
to be in the preseason. Prince became the aggressor,
demanded the ball and took a 3-pointer in the corner late in regulation.
But Prince wasn't through. He made a few key free throws in overtime, finishing with 28 points and giving the Wildcats a
new found leader for the rest of this tournament.
The Bonnies had their share of gut-check guys
like Tim Winn, Patricio Prato and David Messiah Capers, who
all hit key baskets to force both overtimes.
In the end,
Kentucky avoided its quickest exit from the
tournament since 1987, and the Bonnies were within one layup (Winn's) to
become the 18th No. 12 seed to upset a No. 5 seed since
1985.
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The Wildcats' up-and-down season hit a low last weekend when
they were knocked out of the SEC tournament by Arkansas and
sophomore swingman Desmond Allison was arrested for drunken
driving.
Allison was indefinitely suspended, and his absence left Smith
with just nine players for the NCAA Tournament. He was almost
forced to use them all by a St. Bonaventure team that wouldn't
quit.
"They're all big," Smith said. "But this is a special one
because we had a young man who made a mistake. But we've got a
tough group of players."
So does St. Bonaventure (21-10). Playing in its first NCAA
tournament in 22 years, the Bonnies became the first team in 120
NCAA games to take Kentucky to two overtimes.
"That's a heck of a way to start the NCAA Tournament," Bonnies
coach Jim Baron said. "We fought hard. We fought long. We were one
basket away."
Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince scored 28 points and his 3-pointer sent the game into overtime with seven
seconds remaining in regulation. The Wildcats (23-9) made
things tough on themselves with poor foul shooting -- 14 of 20 in the
two OTs -- and bad defense down the stretch.
Keith Bogans scored 19 points -- his final two on a putback with
11.6 seconds remaining -- for Kentucky, which will play Syracuse in Saturday's second round.
For a while, it didn't look as if the Wildcats would get there.
|  | | St. Bonaventure's David Messiah Capers, center, is hugged by teammate Eric Siegrist after hitting three free throws to send the game into double overtime. The Bonnies' J.R. Bremer is at left. |
"They played their hearts out," Kentucky center Jamaal
Magliore said of St. Bonaventure. "But we came in with a burning
desire."
St. Bonaventure rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second
half -- and then came from five down in the final eight seconds of
the first OT when Kentucky committed two fouls.
First, Bonnies guard Tim Winn was hacked by Souleymane Camara
while scoring on a drive with 8.7 seconds remaining in OT. Winn's
free throw brought St. Bonaventure within 74-73.
Magliore then made two free throws, but Wildcats reserve Marvin
Stone fouled David Messiah Capers attempting a 3-pointer with less
than a second to go.
Messiah Capers, a 56 percent free-throw shooter, made all three
shots to tie it at 76 despite Smith's attempt to ice him by calling
timeouts after his first and second attempts.
"The guys just told me, 'You make 'em or you miss 'em, we still
love you,"' Messiah Capers said. "There was never any doubt in my
mind. They gave me confidence."
J.R. Bremer blew a chance to give St. Bonaventure the lead in
the second OT by missing two free throws with 1:21 left, but stole
the ball back. However, Prince blocked Bremer's 3-point attempt
from the corner with 45 seconds to go. On Kentucky's next possession, Bogans picked up a loose ball in
the lane and scored underneath to put the Wildcats up 83-80.
St. Bonaventure had one last chance to tie it, but Winn's
3-pointer from the top of the key rattled out, and Prince made two
free throws for Kentucky to close the scoring with 1.1 seconds to
play.
Baron replaced all five players before Prince shot and even the
Kentucky fans stood to applaud Bonaventure's scrappy effort. "The crowd wanted us to win," Messiah Capers said.
Trailing 63-60 in regulation, Prince came off a screen set by
Magliore and drilled a 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds remaining to tie
it. "That was a great screen," Prince said. "All I had to do was
concentrate on my shot." Following a timeout, Winn drove the length of the court but
missed a layup over two defenders with two seconds left to force
OT.
Kentucky opened a 13-point lead early in the second half and
looked like it was about to put St. Bonaventure away. But the
Bonnies came storming back and with Bremer making two straight
3-pointers, they closed within 48-46 with 8:56 remaining.
Sensing a possible upset, Syracuse fans waiting for Game 2
joined forces with their upstate New York state St. Bonaventure
brethren to drown out Kentucky's fans. And when Bremer buried a third straight 3-pointer with 8:00 left
to give the Bonnies a 49-48 lead it seemed like the entire
population of Olean, N.Y., was in the Convocation Centre.
But it was Kentucky that survived to play another day.
"It's been like this all year long," Smith said. "Nobody
picked us to win the SEC regular-season title. Not many picked us
in the Top 25. But we've grown together and overcome some difficult
times."
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
St Bonaventure Clubhouse
Kentucky Clubhouse
Chat: NCAA Tourney
Syracuse stops Samford, faces Kentucky next
Valpo more like Alpo against Spartans' withering defense
Utes win ugly, outlasting Billikens
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Post-game news conference from Kentucky's win over St. Bonaventure.
RealVideo: | 28.8
 Tubby Smith says under pressure Tayshaun Prince is a cool operator.
wav: 95 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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