Derek Willis – photo by Walter Cornett
Jamal Murray scored 28 points, Derek Willis made seven 3-pointers for a career-high 25 and No. 14 Kentucky beat Tennessee 80-70 on Thursday night for its fourth straight victory.
Sixteen days after blowing a 21-point lead in an 84-77 loss at Tennessee, the Wildcats (20-6, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) held their ground this time against the Volunteers. Kentucky stretched a six-point halftime lead to as many as 22 for another double-digit win and has won by an average margin of 22.5 points during its streak.
Murray’s perimeter shooting helped set the tone before Willis got hot to make five from behind the arc in the second half.
Armani Moore scored 21 points and Kevin Punter Jr. added 19 for Tennessee (12-14, 5-8 SEC), which got within 10 points in the final minute but really wasn’t that close in losing for the third time in four games since upsetting Kentucky.
