Robinson would strike again, hitting a jumper with 1:05 left to extend the UK lead to 93-90. After a defensive stop, Butler hit a floater in the lane, giving UK a 95-90 lead with 15 seconds left. MSU scored the next five points to take a 29-28 lead before Koby Brea hit a three-point basket […]
Robinson would strike again, hitting a jumper with 1:05 left to extend the UK lead to 93-90. After a defensive stop, Butler hit a floater in the lane, giving UK a 95-90 lead with 15 seconds left.
MSU scored the next five points to take a 29-28 lead before Koby Brea hit a three-point basket to give UK a 31-29 lead. After the Bulldogs tied the game at 31, Robinson hit his third three of the first half and Kentucky led 34-31.
After MSU took a 15-14 lead, Carr hit a three, giving the Cats a 17-15 lead. However, the Bulldogs answered with a three of their own, taking the lead back, 18-17. Kentucky answered with a Robinson three, taking a 20-18 lead in the process.
An Oweh free throw stretched the lead to 42-39, then he stole the ball and raced to the other end for a dunk that gave the Cats a 44-39 lead. An MSU free throw made it 44-40 before Williams scored to give UK a six-point lead. The Bulldogs got a four-point play with five seconds left in the half, but Lamont Butler hit a three at the buzzer and the Cats took a 49-44 lead into the break. Robinson led all scorers with 16 points in the first half.
Kentucky (13-3, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) had six players in double figures in the game, led by a season-high 27 points from Jaxson Robinson. The BYU transfer made 9 of 12 from the field, including 7 of 10 from three-point range.
Kentucky got off to a quick start in the second half with a Robinson three and a fast-break dunk from Oweh, grabbing a 54-44 advantage. However, MSU answered with five in a row, making it 54-49. Another Oweh basket gave UK a 56-49 lead, but MSU answered with a basket of their own, getting within 56-51.
MSU would not go away. The Bulldogs cut it to five before a Bulter layup made it 91-84. MSU would score six in a row to make it a one-point game, 91-90 with 2:00 to play.
Mississippi State scored the next six to grab a 36-34 lead with 3:53 left in the first half. A Williams jumper got the Cats within one. Then Robinson hit his fourth three-pointer of the half and the Cats took a 39-37 advantage. MSU tied the game with two free throws, but Williams hit two of his own and UK led 41-39.
That’s when Ansley Almonor stepped up. On consecutive possessions, Almonor hit three-pointers to turn a two-point deficit into a four-point lead. An Oweh basket stretched the UK lead to 86-80. After a pair of MSU free throws, Almonor hit another three and the Cats led 89-82.
The Cats hit 16 of 32 from beyond the arc and outrebounded the Bulldogs by eight on their way to a 95-90 win inside Humphrey Coliseum.
Mississippi State scored the first five points of the game before a Robinson three got the Cats on the board. MSU led 8-3 before a Carr dunk cut the UK deficit to three. After the Bulldogs led 11-5, Oweh hit a mid-range jumper, making it 11-7.
Robinson got into double digits with a floater that made it 22-18. A pair of Oweh free throws made it 24-18 Cats, capping a 7-0 run. The Bulldogs answered by scoring the next six points to tie the game. Amari Williams scored in the lane to give UK a 26-24 advantage, then he made a pair of free throws that made it 28-24 Cats.
MSU hit a three to get within one, but Butler answered with a three of his own, giving Kentucky a 78-74 lead. Again, the Bulldogs answered, hitting consecutive three-pointers to lead 80-78 with 8:17 to play.
After an MSU three, Brandon Garrison hit a three of his own, giving the Cats a 68-54 lead. However, the Bulldogs made a pair of threes to make it 68-60. That was the beginning of a 12-0 run that got MSU within two, 68-66.
Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday, hosting nationally-ranked Texas A&M at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPN2.
After getting roughed up and outrebounded against Georgia on Tuesday night, No. 6 Kentucky was looking for a response on Saturday night at No. 14 Mississippi State. And the Cats got just that.
A Carr layup and free throw stopped the run and extended the UK lead to 71-66. However, MSU scored the next five to tie the game at 71 apiece. An Oweh layup gave the Cats the lead back and a Carr putback gave UK a 75-71 lead with under 10 minutes to play.
Kentucky cut the deficit to one on a three from Travis Perry. The Cats took their first lead on an Almonor layup, making it 12-11. MSU took the lead back at 13-12, but Robinson hit a pair of free throws to give UK a 14-13 advantage.
Otega Oweh had 15 points and eight rebounds and Andrew Carr had 13 points and six rebounds. Ansley Almonor had 11 points, while Amari Williams had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, and he added six assists. Lamont Butler had 10 points and eight assists for the Cats.
Robinson hit his sixth three of the game to give UK a 59-51 advantage, then he hit his seventh triple to extend the lead to 62-51. A Carr putback and free throw made it 65-51, completing a 9-0 run.
