It was far from pretty, but the Kentucky Wildcats’ 72-63 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday marked the fifth straight win for Mark Pope and his team.
In the final seconds of the game, Colin Chandler hit a three-pointer with 47.7 seconds left to extend Kentucky’s lead to 66-60, effectively putting the game out of reach. It was a much-needed 3-pointer for Chandler, Kentucky’s first since Ortega Owe’s driving layup with 4:08 left in the second half.
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For Chandler, this was only his second shot of the game. He took 10 shots in total, 7 of which came from three-pointers.
Chandler’s big shot was key in Kentucky’s nine-point victory over Mississippi State on Saturday morning at Rupp Arena.
This game is a real grind. It has no traffic. Maybe the early start time and impending inclement weather had something to do with it, but Kentucky used late points, rebounds, free throws, assists, steals and grit to win its fifth straight game after starting 0-2 in SEC play.
This was a closer game than Wildcat fans expected. Mississippi’s 3-point shooting came alive in the second half, allowing the Rebels to maintain the game lead for the next 20 minutes.
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Thankfully, Kentucky ended the game on a 10-3 run, with Chandler’s three-pointer becoming the highlight of the final stretch.
first half
Kentucky had several multi-minute scoring droughts, but their defense held them back.
Jasper Johnson went on an 8-0 run and hit two three-pointers to help Kentucky take a 19-15 lead from a 15-11 deficit.
In the first half, the two teams played hard on the court, and the score remained stalemate in the first 20 minutes.
Kentucky shot just 32 percent from the field, including 4 of 16 three-pointers. The Wildcats also led 9-12 at the free throw line.
The Wildcats’ defense held Mississippi State to just 25 percent shooting from the field and 1-for-10 from three-point range. Kentucky forced seven Rebels turnovers and dished out just one assist.
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It was great to see Kentucky hit 16 3-pointers. This is what you want from Mark Pope’s offense
second half
Foul trouble plagued Kentucky’s frontcourt in the second half. Earlier, Malachi Moreno, Mohamed Diubat and Brandon Garrison all picked up three fouls. Denzel Aberdeen eventually picked up his third foul with just over five minutes left in the game.
Mississippi made 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc to tie the game at 39-39 with less than 14 minutes left.
The Wildcats’ shooting drought continued into the second half. At the time of the under-eight media timeout, Kentucky had trailed for 3 minutes and 42 seconds without a field goal.
Both teams struggled at the free throw line in the second half and throughout the game. Kentucky made 19 of 26 free throws and Mississippi State made 6 of 8 free throws.
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However, Kentucky performed well at the free throw line when needed, knocking down the final five points from the charity stripe to seal the victory.
Highlights
MVP: Ortega Ove
Simple. Ove was the best player on the field on Saturday. 20 of his 23 points came in the second half. The SEC preseason player of the year had a strong game, hitting 6 of 12 shots and 10 of 13 free throws.
Ovie, who was in trouble for much of the first half after picking up two quick fouls, ensured that his second half would be one to forget and that Kentucky would need to go all out to pull out the win.
box score
Kentucky vs. Ole Miss Twitter Reactions
Despite the early departure time and bad weather, the Big Blue Country was ready to go today. Here are the best reactions from the Big Blue Nation from today’s game.