Junior guard Jarrod Polson scored 10 points – three more than he had in his career at Kentucky – and made the clinching free throws with 7.7 seconds to play as the third-ranked Wildcats held off a furious second-half rally by Maryland for a 72-69 victory Friday night.
Kyle Wiltjer, a sophomore, led Kentucky with 19 points in the second game of the Barclays Center Classic, the first college basketball games played in the new arena in Brooklyn. Archie Goodwin, the only one of the four freshmen in Kentucky’s heralded recruiting class to score in double figures, had 16 points for the defending national champions.
Seven-foot-1 sophomore Alex Len led Maryland with 23 points and 12 rebounds, both career highs. His rare three-point play – he made the first free throw then rebounded his own miss of the second – brought the Terrapins within 70-69 with 8.9 seconds left.
Polson was fouled with 7.7 seconds left and made two free throws for a 72-69 lead.
Maryland’s Pe’Shon Howard missed the final shot but it was only a 2-point attempt.