Shabazz Napier scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half and overtime and Connecticut rallied to stay alive in the NCAA Tournament.
The seventh-seeded Huskies beat 10th-seeded Saint Joseph's 89-81 in their East Region opener Thursday after coming back from a 10-point deficit in the first half.
Napier, the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, scored seven in a row in overtime to give the Huskies (27-8) an eight-point lead and Saint Joe's -- with senior big man Halil Kanacevic fouled out -- was never closer than five in the last minute.
DeAndre Daniels added 18 points and Ryan Boatright scored 17 for the Huskies, who will face either second-seeded Villanova or 15th-seeded Milwaukee in the next round.
Langston Galloway scored 25 to lead Atlantic 10 champion Saint Joe's (24-10) and DeAndre Bembry had 16 points. Kanacevic ended with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
[SportsNetwork.com]
