Late free throws save Wildcats from upset
Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison sinks pair from line with six seconds left to stave off Notre Dame.
Guard Andrew Harrison hit two free throws with six seconds remaining and the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats advanced to the Final Four with a 68-66 victory over the third-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Midwest Regional dinal on Saturday night.
Kentucky (38-0) will face Wisconsin (35-3) in the national semidinals next Saturday.
Forward Karl-Anthony Towns led Kentucky with 25 points and guard Devin Booker added 10.
Notre Dame (32-6) was led by forward Zach Auguste with 20 points and guard Steve Vasturia with 16.
Guard Jerian Grant’s 3-pointer gave Notre Dame a 66-64 lead with 2:35 remaining before Towns’ basket tied the score with 1:12 left.
After a Notre Dame shot clock violation with 33 seconds remaining, Andrew Harrison drove to the basket, was fouled and calmly made both free throws.
Grant’s desperation 3-pointer from the corner missed and the Wildcats, who rallied from a 61-56 dedicit with 5:22 remaining, survived.
The score was tied 31-31 at halftime.
The dirst half was tight throughout, with 13 lead changes and 10 ties.
Kentucky’s biggest lead was 2-0 and Notre Dame’s biggest was 26-22 late in the half.
Forward Bonzie Colson’s three-point play with 25 seconds remaining in the dirst half gave the Irish a 31-29 lead, but Wildcats forward Trey Lyles’ tip-in beat the buzzer to tie it.
Kentucky was 10 of 12 at the free-throw line and Notre Dame made all four of its foul shots in the opening half.
The Wildcats were coming off a 78-39 rout of West Virginia in the semidinals, a game they put away with a 16-0 run early in the dirst half. But they ran into much more resistance from the Irish.
Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison started despite dislocating his left ring dinger Thursday. He was injured diving for a loose ball.