BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Shabazz Napier scored nine of his 24 points in overtime, and No. 7 UConn overcame a 10-point first-half deficit to beat St. Joe’s 89-81 Thursday night in an NCAA tournament game at the First Niagara Center.
Napier made a basket and seven consecutive foul shots in OT. UConn outscored St. Joe’s 19-11 in overtime.
From the foul line in overtime, UConn shot 15 for 16, and St. Joe’s was 3 for 6.
St. Joe’s remains winless in the NCAA tournament since the 2004 run to the Elite 8.
The Hawks led by seven four minutes into the second half and by five with 4½ minutes left in regulation, but UConn closed the second half on an 11-6 run and then opened OT on a 10-3 run.
St. Joe’s senior Langston Galloway, who led the Hawks with 25 points and became the Hawks’ second-leading scorer in program history, missed a runner along the right baseline for the lead with 2.7 seconds left in regulation.
Napier shot just 7 for 22 but added eight rebounds and six steals.
What it means
The loss kept St. Joe’s winless in NCAA play since the 2004 team reached the Elite 8. St. Joe’s lost to Oklahoma in Birmingham in 2008 in its last trip to the NCAAs.
The win was UConn’s first in NCAA tournament play since 2011, when the Huskies beat butler to win the national championship.
Turning point
UConn led 75-73 when DeAndre’ Bembry was fouled with 2:37 left, but Bembry missed the front end of the one-and-one for the tie, and UConn rolled from there.
By the numbers
Bembry had 16 points and Halil Kanacevic 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists before fouling out early in overtime. … Galloway finished his brilliant career with 1,989 career points, second-most in St. Joe’s history behind Jameer Nelson (2,094). … Chris Wilson scored 10 of his 13 points in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime for the Hawks. … The Hawks’ five starters scored all 81 points and all but three in St. Joe’s last five games.
What's next
Connecticut advanced to the Round of 32 and will face the winner of the Villanova-Milwaukee game, scheduled for later Thursday evening at the First Niagara Center.