Baylor basketball delivered the top 25 upset of the night on Thursday. And Jeremy Roach made it happen in dramatic, closing fashion against No. 22 St. John’s in double overtime.
Roach, with a Red Storm defender stretching both arms, fired the three-point shot as time wilted away. Roach swished the attempt, causing a sea of green to celebrate in euphoria as Baylor claimed the 99-98 stunner in the Bahamas. Baylor will now face the winner of Tennessee-Virginia in the Bahamas Championships game.
JEREMY ROACH WINS IT AT THE BUZZER
WHAT A CLUTCH SHOT pic.twitter.com/s5xfcBKmBS
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 22, 2024
Roach’s final attempt came with 4.1 seconds left. Baylor even took advantage of a strong miscue on the Red Storm: Two missed Zuby Ejiofor free throws. Norchad Omier of Baylor grabbed the loose second missed free throw attempt. He got up the court enough to dish the ball to Roach. The point guard took two dribbles before firing the eye-grabbing attempt.
Baylor entered the game as a slight favorite at just 1.5-points. Roach lifted Baylor to 4-1 overall. The Bears even found themselves in a major hole early in the game before the final sequence.
Baylor and Jeremy Roach fought back from huge deficit
St. John’s looked very much like a nationally ranked team early at the Bahamas Championships.
The Red Storm built a 39-21 lead with 5:29 remaining in the first half. They then entered halftime leading by 14. Baylor headed into the locker room searching for immediate answers.
The Big 12 Conference representative answered fast. Baylor outscored St. John’s 47-33 in the second half. Both teams were neck-in-neck the rest of the night and forced themselves into extra periods.
Roach emerged as the soul-snatcher on the island. He scored 20 points but eight coming in the second half. Roach scored a combined seven points including that final one with under five seconds left in the second overtime.
The 23-year-old Roach clearly is already winning over his new school. He arrived to Waco, Texas as a transfer from Duke. He suited up for four collegiate seasons for the Blue Devils and earned the role of captain for his senior campaign. Roach left Durham, North Carolina averaging 11.3 points per game in his four seasons. Now, he’s averaging 12 points per game so far but became revered for the Bahamas buzzer beater.
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