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Kentucky had Mississippi State down by 17 with 8-plus minutes left plus boxscore and other game notes

Kentucky led by 17 (65-48) with 8:47 to play, but the Bulldogs rallied and closed within three (74-71) with 1:14 remaining.

Go here for boxscore.

  • is now 13-3 on the season, 3-1 in Southeastern Conference action. is 7-8 overall, 0-3 in league play.
  • Kentucky leads the all-time series 93-20 and has won nine in a row.
  • Next for the Wildcats: Kentucky plays at Auburn on Saturday at 4 p.m., televised by ESPN.

In the First Half

  • Kentucky started with the lineup of , , Jamal Murray, and for the fourth game in a row.
  • Mississippi State led 5-0 early. With the game tied at 10, Kentucky went ahead for good with a 13-0 run, and although the Wildcats never trailed again, the game stayed competitive.
  • The Bulldogs bit back with a 9-0 spurt and eventually closed within two points at 27-25.
  • Kentucky kept the visitors at bay and went to halftime ahead 39-31. made six 3-pointers in the opening period, most in a first half this season.

In the Second Half

  • After Mississippi State scored the first basket of the second half, Kentucky went on a 14-0 run to give the Wildcats their largest lead at 53-33.
  • Still trailing by 17 (65-48) with 8:47 to play, the Bulldogs rallied and closed within three (74-71) with 1:14 remaining.
  • Kentucky made six straight foul shots in the final minute to preserve the victory.
    • Poythress claimed an offensive rebound, was fouled, and made two foul shots with 48 seconds left.
    • MSU's Fred Thomas banked one home with 37 seconds to go to make it 76-73.
    • Ulis went to the line and got a friendly roll and a friendly bounce with 35 seconds left, making it 78-73.
    • With 26.2 to play, the Bulldogs' I.J. Ready made the first of two to make it 78-74.
    • With 19.7 on the clock, Poythress made two foul shots and UK on for an 80-74 win.

Team Notes

  • With 2,191 all-time wins, Kentucky is the nation's leader in that category.
  • UK extended its streak of 30 straight wins in Rupp Arena.
  • Kentucky shot 50.9 percent from the field, the eighth time this season the Wildcats have made at least half their shots in a game.
  • Kentucky won the rebounding battle 33-20, leading to an 11-4 advantage in second-chance points.
  • Mississippi State shot 52.9 percent from the field. UK had held the previous 55 home opponents under 50 percent from the field.
  • Kentucky extended its streak of 955 consecutive games with at least one 3-point basket.
  • UK has had a player score at least 20 points in all four games this season. The last time UK had a player score at least 20 in four straight SEC games was 2009.
  • Coach has a 648-181 (.782) all-time record, including a 203-41 (.832) mark at Kentucky. Calipari is 112-4 (.966) in Rupp Arena.

 Player Notes

  • Freshman Jamal Murray had a game-high 22 points, his 13th consecutive double-figure game.
    • This was his third-consecutive 20-point game, fifth overall.
    • He has made at least one 3-point shot in every game this season, the first player in program history to make a triple in each of his first 16 collegiate games.
  • Sophomore Tyler Ulis rang up 21 points, the fourth time in the last five games he had 20 or more.
    • An 85 percent foul shooter on the season, Ulis made all five of his attempts tonight.
    • Ulis had five assists. He has had at least four assists in nine straight games, first Wildcat to do so since Marquis Teague in 2012.
  • Freshman Isaiah Briscoe had 14 points, making 7 of 9 shots. He has made 13 of 19 shots (68.4 percent) in the last two games.
  • Junior Marcus Lee had two points and a game-high nine rebounds. After making 1 of 2 field goals tonight, Lee has made 37 of 52 (.712) shots in the last 10 games.
  • Senior Alex Poythress had six points and eight rebounds, hitting four clutch foul shots in the final minute.
  • In only 11 minutes of action, junior had eight points, making both of his 3-point tries and both foul shots, adding an assist, steal and blocked shot.

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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