The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
57°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report

Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Dunk ruled after the horn, Saint Joseph’s edges Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bearcats forward Octavius Ellis dunks the ball to tie the game, but not before the clock ran out giving the 78-76 win to Saint Joseph's during the second half of a first round NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship game Friday in the Spokane Arena. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)
By Greg Lee
Cincinnati Bearcats forward Octavius Ellis dunks the ball to tie the game, but not before the clock ran out giving the 78-76 win to Saint Joseph's during the second half of a first round NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship game Friday in the Spokane Arena. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

As the horn sounded, the ball was over the cylinder but still on Octavius Ellis’ fingertips.

Seven seconds earlier, Isaiah Miles sank a 3-pointer and eight-seeded Saint Joseph’s survived in the waning moments for a 78-76 win over No. 9 seed Cincinnati in the most thrilling NCAA tournament game on Friday at the Spokane Arena, played before 11,274.

The referee under the basket ruled the shot good in the moment. Then the officials, as they’re required by rule, gathered around the courtside monitor and took three minutes before determining the dunk came after the red lights outlining the backboard had lit up.

St. Joseph’s (28-7) advances in the West Region to meet No. 1 seed Oregon (29-6) on Sunday.

The shot would have been good had it come off Ellis’ fingers less than a tenth of a second earlier. It was imperceptibly close.

The referees released a statement saying the shot hadn’t been released when the buzzer sounded.

“In a small way I wish it hadn’t ended like that,” Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli said. “I wished it ended with Isaiah making the 3 and us getting a stop. But at least from what I could see it was the right call.”

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin was visibly disappointed when he met with the media.

“I feel terrible for my team,” said Cronin, who refused to comment about the referees’ decision. “They played extremely hard and fought back from being down early… That being said, we still had a chance to win against one of the hottest teams in the country.”

Both teams played well from start to finish, combining for just 15 turnovers.

Miles, who had never made a game-winning shot prior to Friday, got a put back to give the Hawks their biggest lead at 63-51 with 11:22 to go.

The Bearcats (22-11) fought back, using a 20-5 run to forge a 71-68 lead with 5:05 to play.

Saint Joseph’s retook the lead with a 7-0 surge when Aaron Brown made a 3-pointer for a 75-71 lead at the 2:39 mark.

Brown stepped up in the second half, scoring 11 of his 13 points when the Bearcats clamped down on DeAndre Bembry, who had 20 in the first half.

The Hawks led 75-74 when Brown went up for a jumper as the clock ticked under 20 seconds. Ellis blocked it and fed ahead to Evans for an uncontested dunk that gave Cincinnati a 76-75 lead with 16 seconds to go.

Martelli called time out, and he drew up the play for Miles’ shot.

Bembry led the Hawks with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Miles finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Evans, a freshman, led the Bearcats with 26 points and nine rebounds.