Kentucky University point guard, Ortega Oweh made history with a buzzer-beating point that helped his side into overtime and eventually snatched a close win in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) basketball league.
READ ALSO: Igando Comes Alive On Sunday, As 8th Prince Gas Cup Final Holds At Sansan Field
Sports247 reports that Oweh’s name was on all mouths at the arena, as he made a world of difference in one of the most thrilling games ever in the NCAA, helping Kentucky Wildcats defeat Santa Clara Broncos 89-84.
The Wildcats’ victory came after a game-tying shot from just beyond half court by Oweh at the buzzer sent the game to overtime, following which his team dominated on both ends of the floor.
Before then, The Wildcats looked destined to become another high-profile victim, joining North Carolina and Wisconsin among the ranks of upsets in the opening round of this year’s tournament.
Kentucky continued to lean on Oweh, who finished with a game-high 35 points in 43 minutes, adding eight rebounds and seven assists, while shooting 11-for-24 from the field and 3-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Remarkably, 28 of his points came after halftime, with his 12 free-throw attempts being one fewer than Santa Clara’s entire team total and three more than the rest of The Wildcats combined.
OptaSTATS revealed that Oweh became the only player to record at least 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a collegiate tournament game since the NCAA began officially tracking assists in the 1983/84 season.
Oweh, who arrived at Kentucky last season, has since started 70 games for The Big Blue Nation, becoming a face of the programme and one of the all-time leading scorers among transfers in school history.
The New Jersey native, a two-time All-SEC performer, had his fingerprints all over the final score and will now hope to carry that momentum into the Round of 32 on Sunday, as The Wildcats await their next opponent.
“That was probably the best one yet. That’s what March is, though. All the best games happen at this time of year, and it was a blast. I’m just glad we were able to pull it out.
“I was just trying to get as close as I could to make the shot, and I don’t know, it just went in. It’s March Madness – that’s the type of vibe it is,” an excited Oweh exclaimed afterwards.
