Gonzaga upsets No. 17 Kentucky in Rupp Arena

As much as the phrase “must-win” is a cliche in sports, it sure felt like the Gonzaga Bulldogs got one of those in their thrilling 89-85 upset over the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena on Saturday.

With the victory, Gonzaga (18-6, 8-2 WCC) picked up its first Quad 1 win (1-5) and bested its first AP Top 25 opponent of the season in a back-and-forth affair against a Kentucky (16-7, 6-4 SEC) team that has now lost three-straight games at home for the first time since 1966.

The Bulldogs managed to seize momentum early before the Wildcats cut their deficit to two points with 4:56 left in the first half. Mark Few’s group finished the half strong with a 13-5 scoring run to take a 42-32 lead into the locker room.

Out of the break, Reed Sheppard took over the Wildcats offense. The 6-foot-3 freshman capped off a 12-0 scoring run with an and-one finish at the rim through Graham Ike, which gave his team a 57-51 lead with 12:30 left. Sheppard finished with 21 points after being held scoreless in the first half.

Ike helped weather the storm with a 3-point play of his own, followed by two free throws from Ryan Nembhard to keep Gonzaga within striking distance. Ike fouled out in the final minute on an attempt to break up an alley-oop pass, but not before he racked up a team-high 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field.

Braden Huff stepped up with Ike out, scoring eight consecutive points to put the Bulldogs up 75-72. Sheppard responded with another and-one after he blocked a 3-point attempt from Hickman and scored himself on the other end, breathing life back into Rupp Arena. Watson silenced the crowd with a 3-point play the next possession.

Watson had 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. The 6-foot-8 forward made it an 84-80 game with a crafty drive and sweeping layup over his defender.

Ben Gregg, who added 14 points, two blocks and two steals, essentially ended Kentucky’s hopes of a comeback once he intercepted an alley-oop pass from Sheppard with Gonzaga up 86-84 with five seconds left. Gregg made his second free throw, which prompted the Bulldogs to foul Antonio Reeves up three points with 4.1 seconds to play.

Reeves intentionally missed the second free throw in hopes of his team getting another chance off an offensive rebound, but Nolan Hickman secured the loose ball. A former Kentucky commit before flipping to Gonzaga, Hickman iced the game with two free throws.

Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga’s biggest win of the season.