TAMPA, Fla. – San Diego's De'Jon Jackson's pull-up jumper just inside the 3-point line with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime gave the 13th seed a 70-69 victory over No. 4 seed Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA tournament's West Regional.
It was the Toreros' first tournament victory in four tries and the second upset in as many games in Tampa.
San Diego (22-13) took advantage of strong inside play from Gyno Pomare, four 3-pointers from Johnson and Jackson's clutch shot to advance to the second round. The Toreros will play No. 12 Western Kentucky, which used a desperation 3-pointer to upend fifth-seeded Drake.
If Pomare (22 points on 10-of-12 shooting) and Johnson (18 points, five rebounds and four assists) play like they did against the Huskies, the small school known mostly for its scenic ocean views could be in for an extended stay in the tournament.
UConn, meanwhile, heads home much earlier than expected — ending an inconsistent season with another up-and-down performance.
The Huskies (24-9) had an excuse in this one. They played most of the game without leading scoring A.J. Price, who injured his left knee in the first half and did not return.
In the earlier game Friday, Ty Rogers hit a long 3-pointer with three defenders in his face and no time on the clock, and 12th-seeded Western Kentucky stunned Drake 101-99 in overtime Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament's West Regional.
The fifth-seeded Bulldogs (28-5) overcame a 16-point deficit in the final 8 minutes of regulation and led 99-98 after Jonathan Cox's two free throws with 5.7 seconds to play. But Tyrone Brazelton raced across midcourt and kicked it to Rogers, whose 26-footer from the wing gave the Hilltoppers (28-6) their first tournament victory since 1995.
Brazelton finished with a career-high 33 points for Western Kentucky.
Rogers' final shot was the 30th 3-pointer of the game, breaking the previous NCAA mark set by West Virginia and Louisville two years ago.
Western Kentucky and Drake combined for 70 3-point attempts, also breaking the previous record of 66 set by UCLA and Cincinnati in 2002.
Rogers danced his way back to the other end of the floor, where he was mobbed by teammates across from the dejected Drake bench. The celebration moved back to the other end, where the senior reserve pounded his chest before the Hilltopper faithful.
Meanwhile, it took 39 years, but Davidson is back as a player in the NCAA tournament, thanks to a dynamic guard with a magic touch that none of the big schools wanted.
Stephen Curry scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half and hit the tie-breaking 3-pointer with just over a minute left to lead 10th-seeded Davidson to an 82-76 win over No. 7 Gonzaga on Friday in the Midwest Regional in Raleigh, N.C.
Displaying his lightning-quick release, Curry hit 8 of 10 3-pointers. His two free throws with 14.5 seconds left iced it for the 10th-seeded Wildcats (27-6), who won their first NCAA game since Lefty Driesell put this tiny liberal arts school on the map in the 1960s.
Curry, the son of former NBA 3-point specialist Dell Curry, wanted to play for his father's alma mater, Virginia Tech. But the big schools shied away from the baby-faced Curry, who has grown four inches to 6-foot-3 since signing with Davidson, and now has put the Wildcats into the second round of the Midwest Regional against the Georgetown-Maryland-Baltimore County winner.
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