Bennedict Mathurin scored 30 points and drained a late 3-pointer to force overtime to lead the No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats to an 85-80 win over 9-seed TCU and a trip to the Sweet 16.
Mathurin hit the game-tying 3-pointer with just 13 seconds left in regulation to save the Wildcats’ season. He scored 14 points in the second half and six more in the overtime session as the Wildcats advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017.
The Pac 12 Player of the Year also added eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in 41 minutes. He became the sixth Arizona player with a 30-point game in the NCAA Tournament and the first since Derrick Williams in 2011.
It was his third career 30-point game.
“Ben’s not afraid of the moment,” Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He is a special player who has an ability to rise it up another level when needed and he has that clutch gene. I honestly felt really good when he had the ball in his hands there because I knew he was going to shoot a three. Right when he snapped that three off to tie it, it was pretty impressive.”
“Benn has the clutch gene.” pic.twitter.com/uUT2A7VkXY https://t.co/IVVsdyB7aq
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 21, 2022
The clutch 3-pointer and effort in overtime only told part of the story by Mathurin in the victory. The sophomore also threw down the dunk of the tournament thus far after hammering one down in the second half on TCU center Eddie Lampkin.
BENNEDICT MATHURIN OMG 😱😱😱
FILTHY POSTER @ArizonaMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zsmcFA9NxB
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2022
Mathurin, who is projected to be a lottery pick this year in the NBA draft, elected to come back to school for a sophomore season. The decision to return appears to be paying off as the top-seeded Wildcats advanced out of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats will face the fifth-seeded Houston Cougars on Thursday in San Antonio. The program will be looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015.
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