NASSAU – Jeremy Roach made a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and No. 13 Baylor rallied from five points down in the final 18 seconds of the second overtime to beat No. 22 St. John’s 99-98 on Thursday night at the Baha Mar Championship.
St. John’s led 98-93 when Deivon Smith made one of two free throws with 18 seconds left. The Bears cut it to two on VJ Edgecombe’s 3-pointer and then fouled the Red Storm’s Zuby Ejiofor, who missed both free throws.
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Norchad Omier rebounded the second miss with 4.1 seconds left, dribbled up the floor and passed to Roach. The Duke transfer elevated over Smith and swished the game-winning 3-pointer.
Omier had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Roach scored 20 points for the Bears (4-1), who rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit. Roach’s 3 gave Baylor a 77-74 lead late in regulation, but Kadary Richmond’s jumper with 7 seconds left sent the game to overtime.
Ejiofor had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, and Aaron Scott scored 20 points for St. John’s (4-1).
Takeaways
St. John’s: The Red Storm showed they could play elite defense, especially in the first half. They held the Bears to 36.7% shooting as they took a 44-30 lead at the break.
Baylor: The Bears stormed back thanks to 10 3-pointers in the second half and the two extra periods.
Key moment
Richmond made a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left in the first OT and Roach missed a jumper at the buzzer.
Key stat
Despite being even in the rebounding battle, Baylor outscored St. John’s 22-8 in second-chance points.
Up next
Baylor faces the winner of Thursday night’s late game between No. 11 Tennessee and Virginia in the championship game Friday night. St. John’s will play in Friday’s consolation game.
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