Saint Mary's upsets second-seeded Villanova | South Regional

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Omar Samhan was an unstoppable Gael force. The only time the Saint Mary's star slowed down was to enjoy the moment.

"Did it really happen?" he shouted outside the locker room. "We won? For real?"

For real, Omar.

Samhan's ascension into national prominence is blasting off — and so is Saint Mary's run in the NCAA tournament as the Gaels are improbably headed to the round of 16.

Samhan played the game of his career on basketball's biggest stage, finishing with 32 points and seven rebounds to lead 10th-seeded Saint Mary's past Villanova 75-68 on Saturday and on to Houston for the South Regional's Sweet 16.

Saint Mary's (28-5) went a long way for its winning shot.

Mickey McConnell stopped and fired a 25-footer that banked high off the glass and in to give Saint Mary's a 68-65 lead with 1:15 left.

"I got a little separation so I had an open look," a smiling McConnell said. "So I just let it go, and luckily the backboard was there."

Samhan used a two-handed stuff to turn back Reggie Redding and McConnell made both ends of a 1-and-1 to make it 70-65 and turn most of a packed crowd into the country's biggest collection of Saint Mary's fans.

"Nobody expected us to be in this situation when we started the year," said coach Randy Bennett, whose Gaels will play third-seeded Baylor on Thursday. "Maybe the guys did, but I think even they would admit we were a little unsure."

The Wildcats (25-8) made an early exit a year after they played in the Final Four. They started 20-1 and collapsed at the end.

Scottie Reynolds, who put Villanova in the Final Four last season with a last-second basket against Pittsburgh, was a big reason why the Wildcats are heading home early. He missed 9 of 11 shots and scored eight points after a dud game in the tournament opener. He missed 13 of 15 against Robert Morris for a forgettable end to an otherwise stellar career.

Tears streamed from Reynolds' eyes and his lips trembled as he tried to put the loss and his career in perspective.

"There's no shame in losing," he said. "We came up against a great opponent in a Saint Mary's team who just had our number. We're going to hold our heads up high."

The Gaels held each of Villanova's top three scorers to under double figures. Corey Fisher and Antonio Pena both scored nine points to join Reynolds as a trio of underachievers. Corey Stokes led the Wildcats with 15 points.

"We understand the expectations were much higher for this team," coach Jay Wright said.

Other game

No. 3 Baylor 76,

No. 11 Old Dominion 68

NEW ORLEANS — LaceDarius Dunn scored 26 points for the Bears, who squandered a 14-point first-half lead but went on a late 8-1 run to pull away.

Baylor (27-7) struggled to beat Sam Houston State in the first round for its first NCAA tournament win since 1950, but the Bears arrived loose and confident against Old Dominion, using a barrage of early three-pointers and alley-oops to take a double-digit lead.

Old Dominion (27-9) rallied and pulled ahead in the second half, but the Bears received a big lift from 7-footer Josh Lomers, who tied a career high with 14 points, 12 in the second half.