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UConn Extends Its Redemption Tour

BUFFALO - The Connecticut Huskies framed their postseason - actually, their entire season - around the fact that last year they watched the N.C.A.A. tournament from home, barred from the most significant party in college basketball.


This was their redemption tour. The sentiment seemed to hang above every game and colored every interview. Being out of the tournament last year, the senior guard Shabazz Napier said, 'fueled a lot of motivation and hunger.'


How far could that fuel take them? At least two more days into this year's tournament.


Napier's 24 points pushed the seventh-seeded Huskies past St. Joseph's, 89-81, in overtime at First Niagara Center on Thursday night. It is the first time Connecticut has advanced past its opening game of the tournament since the Huskies won the championship in 2011.


The win did not come easily. St. Joseph's went ahead, 35-26, and had their way offensively against the Huskies, who seemed a step sluggish in the first half. Langston Galloway scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half. As a team, the Hawks shot 56 percent.


But Connecticut hung around, and a no-look, over-the-shoulder pass from Ryan Boatright to Amidah Brimah for a dunk brought the Huskies within two, 51-49, with just under 11 minutes to play in the second half.


About two minutes later, Napier drove for a layup and the foul that gave Connecticut its first lead since the game's opening minutes.


The nip-and-tuck affair came down to the final seconds. Trailing by 3 in the final minute, Napier drove for a layup that missed. But Brimah, the 7-foot freshman from Ghana, recovered the rebound, put it back and was fouled. He tied the score at the free-throw line with 36 seconds remaining.


St. Joseph's could not get a shot off in its last possession in regulation, and with 2.7 seconds on the clock, the Huskies had a last chance to win it. A beautifully orchestrated inbounds play gave Napier an open look at a runner from just inside the 3-point arc. But his shot went long as time expired.


In overtime, the Hawks began to look fatigued. A dazzling layup by Napier and the foul put Connecticut ahead, 80-73, with 1:10 to go in the extra period - enough to seal the Huskies' win.


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