FINAL: Kentucky sneaks past pesky Ole Miss 83-72 on Senior Night
There were smiles all around on Tuesday night in Rupp Arena, but none were brighter than those of Davion Mintz and Kellan Grady.
No. 7 Kentucky did what it needed to do on Senior Night against the Ole Miss Rebels as the Wildcats took care of business in the final regular-season home game. UK cruised to an 83-72 victory in a contest that never felt like Ole Miss was within legitimate striking distance. The two seniors, Mintz and Grady, who were both in the starting lineup, combined for 17 points. Oscar Tshiebwe led the way for Kentucky, finishing with his typical stat line of 18 points and 15 rebounds on 9-12 shooting.
Kentucky jumped out to an early 16-9 lead as the ‘Cats were spreading the love around on offense. Four of the five UK players on the floor scored within the first six minutes. However, Ole Miss would punch back for the first time, trimming the Kentucky lead down to as few as three at the halfway point of the first half and then again at the five-minute mark. But a mini-scoring burst from TyTy Washington pushed UK ahead by double-digits as the half came to a close.
Behind a 55 percent first-half field goal percentage, Kentucky took a 44-35 lead into the intermission, assisting on 12 of its 17 made shots. The defense was the issue though, as UK allowed Ole Miss to shoot 50 percent overall while also getting outrebounded on the glass by the Rebels, 17-14.
The second half saw Kentucky continue to grow its lead, but not to the point of no return. UK’s advantage reached as many as 14 points midway through the half but Ole Miss made sure to keep the Big Blue Nation on edge — the Rebels cut the Wildcat lead down to as few as six points with roughly two minutes to go. But the more talented team toughed it out down the stretch and hit its free throws as Kentucky sealed an 11-point victory.
Joining Tshiebwe in double-figures were Sahvir Wheeler with 16 points and seven assists, TyTy Washington with 14 points and four assists, and Keion Brooks Jr. with 10 points and five rebounds. Kentucky shot 60 percent from the field for the night while turning the ball over just eight times.
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