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EUGENE, Oregon (Ticker) -- "Shaq" turned out to be the key player in tonight's game. Unfortunately for sixth-seeded Oregon, it was the wrong one. Shaquetta Rhodes hit a layup with three seconds left in overtime and Shaquala Williams missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer as No. 11 seed Alabama-Birmingham escaped with a thrilling 80-79 in a West Region contest. It was only Rhodes' sixth point of the game and it lifted the Blazers (20-12) into a second-round match up against No. 3 seed Mississippi State on Sunday. UAB became the third road team to win a first-round game since the NCAA went to 16 subregional sites in 1995. Montana upset San Diego State in 1995 and Harvard stunned top-seed Stanford two years ago. Williams, the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year, hit a jumper with 55 seconds left to tie the contest, 76-76. Holly Holland drilled two free throws to put UAB ahead 78-76 with 30 seconds left, but Oregon (23-8) took the lead when Jamie Craighead buried a 3-pointer with 11 seconds to play. Deanna Jackson scored 32 points on 12-of-23 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who shot 45 percent (29-of-64) from the floor. UAB picked up its first NCAA Tournament win in just its second appearance and first since 1994. Brianne Meharry scored 19 points off the bench and Williams finished with 17 for the Ducks, who dropped to 4-10 all-time in the tournament. Craighead poured in 13 points, Angelina Wolvert added 12 and Nicole Strange 10.
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