National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Connecticut 73, Villanova 70
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, February 20, 2012
Where: The Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania
Officials: # Roger Ayers, # James Breeding, # John Higgins
Attendance: 13832

CONNECTICUT 73, VILLANOVA 70 (OT): Shabazz Napier drilled a game-winning 3-pointer from near half court with 0.6 seconds left, two days after calling out his teammates, and the visiting Huskies picked up a much-needed win over the shorthanded Wildcats.

Jeremy Lamb scored a career-high 32 points – including 10 in overtime – for UConn (17-10, 7-8), which led for almost the entire extra session. But the Huskies needed one more big shot after Lamb split a pair of free throws and Villanova freshman Ty Johnson's layup tied the game with four seconds left.

Napier quickly drove the other way and launched a shot from near the Villanova logo that hit nothing but net. The Wildcats’ desperation heave was thrown out of bounds and UConn avoided what would have been a crushing loss for a team on the NCAA tournament bubble.

The defending national champions had lost seven of nine entering this contest, and Napier made headlines by questioning his teammates’ hearts after a 79-64 loss to Marquette on Saturday. UConn responded by roaring back from an 18-point first-half deficit and leading for most of the second half.

Dominic Cheek scored 23 points for the Wildcats (11-16, 4-11). It was the second straight overtime loss and sixth defeat in seven games for Villanova, which let a 20-point lead slip away in loss to Notre Dame on Saturday.

The Wildcats were without starters Maalik Wayns (sprained MCL) and James Bell (ankle).

GAME NOTEBOOK: Napier didn’t start after aggravating a nagging foot injury against Marquette, but entered less than five minutes into the first half. He finished with six points ... For the second time in three games, UConn was held without a field goal for more than seven minutes in the opening half.

Top Game Performances
 
Connecticut   Villanova
Jeremy Lamb 32 Scoring Dominic Cheek 23
Ryan Boatright 4 Assists Ty Johnson 6
Andre Drummond 11 Rebounds JayVaughn Pinkston 10
Jeremy Lamb 8 Free Throws Made Ty Johnson 6
Ryan Boatright 3 Steals Dominic Cheek 2
Andre Drummond 4 Blocks Maurice Sutton 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Connecticut 73 43.1 7-23 10-21 12 30 9 8 8
Villanova 70 40.3 3-9 17-19 11 38 5 5 13