March 16, 2000

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CLEVELAND (AP) – Kentucky’s rich past didn’t mean a thing once the gamestarted. But in the end, it mattered most of all.

Forced to play two overtimes for the first time in its NCAA tournamenthistory, fifth-seeded Kentucky avoided an early exit with an 85-80 victory over12th-seeded St. Bonaventure on Thursday in the first round of the MidwestRegional.

“We deal with a lot of pressure at the University of Kentucky,” Wildcatscoach 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 allseason.

The Wildcats’ up-and-down season hit a low last weekend when they wereknocked out of the SEC tournament by Arkansas, and sophomore swingman DesmondAllison was arrested for drunken driving.

Allison was indefinitely suspended, and his absence left Smith with justnine players for the NCAA tournament. He was almost forced to use them all by aSt. Bonaventure team that wouldn’t quit.

“They’re all big,” Smith said. “But this is a special one because we hada 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 22years, the Bonnies became the first team in 120 NCAA games to take Kentucky totwo overtimes.

“That’s a heck of a way to start the NCAA tournament,” Bonnies coach JimBaron said. “We fought hard. We fought long. We were one basket away.”

Tayshaun Prince scored 28 points and made a 3-pointer with seven secondsremaining in regulation for Kentucky (23-9), which made things tough on itselfwith poor foul shooting – 14 of 20 in the two OTs – and bad defense down thestretch.

Keith Bogans scored 19 points – his final two on a putback with 11.6 secondsremaining – for Kentucky, which will play the Syracuse-Samford winner inSaturday’s second round.

For a while, it didn’t look as if the Wildcats would get there.

“They played their hearts out,” Kentucky center Jamaal Magliore said ofSt. Bonaventure. “But we came in with a burning desire.”

St. Bonaventure rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half, and thencame from five down in the final eight seconds of the first OT when Kentuckycommitted two fouls.

First, Bonnies guard Tim Winn was hacked by Soulemayne Camara while scoringon 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 fouledDavid 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 tieit at 76 despite Kentucky trying to ice him by calling timeouts after his firstand second attempts.

“The guys just told me, ‘You make ’em or you miss ’em, we still loveyou,”‘ Messiah Capers said. “There was never any doubt in my mind. They gaveme confidence.”

J.R. Bremer blew a chance to give St. Bonaventure the lead in the second OTby 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, Bogens picked up a loose ball in the lane andscored underneath to put the Wildcats up 83-80.

St. Bonaventure had one last chance to tie it, but Winn’s 3-pointer from thetop of the key rattled out, and Prince made two free throws for Kentucky toclose the scoring with 1.1 seconds to play.

Baron replaced all five players before Prince shot and even the Kentuckyfans 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 anddrilled a 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds remaining to tie it.

“That was a great screen,” Prince said. “All I had to do was concentrateon my shot.”

Following a timeout, Winn drove the length of the court but missed a layupover two defenders with two seconds left to force OT.

Kentucky opened a 13-point lead early in the second half and looked like itwas about to put St. Bonaventure away. But the Bonnies came storming back andwith Bremer making two straight 3-pointers, they closed within 48-46 with 8:56remaining.

Sensing a possible upset, Syracuse fans waiting for Game 2, joined forceswith their upstate New York state St. Bonaventure brethren to drown outKentucky’s fans.

And when Bremer buried a third straight 3-pointer with 8:00 left to give theBonnies a 49-48 lead it seemed like the entire population of Olean, N.Y., wasin 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 winthe SEC regular-season title. Not many picked us in the Top 25. But we’ve growntogether and overcome some difficult times.”