Kentucky's Comeback Falls Short in 74-73 Loss to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament

Dontaie Allen hit six three-pointers to help Kentucky erase a 15-point second half deficit, but his open three-pointer with seconds remaining missed off the back rim, ending Kentucky’s season with a 74-73 loss to Mississippi State.

Mississippi State dominated Kentucky in the paint in the first half. With Olivier Sarr and Isaiah Jackson stuck on the bench with a pair of fouls, Tolu Smith and Abdul Ado did just about whatever they wanted in the frontcourt. The two combined for 23 points as the Bulldogs scored 36 of their 44 points in the paint and out-rebounded the Cats 29-15.

Kentucky was down, but they were not out, thanks to Allen.

The former Kentucky Mr. Basketball made a jumper to start the second half and never looked back. He hit two from long range to cut the deficit to seven. Allen strung together a couple more to spark a 9-0 run that tied the game. His sixth three-pointer gave UK its first lead with 6:22 remaining.

The Wildcats’ tidal wave of momentum appeared unstoppable when a prayer by Devin Askew as the shot clock expired was corralled by Lance Ware. He found an open Davion Mintz who buried a three-pointer to give UK a 71-66 lead, forcing Ben Howland to call Miss. State’s final timeout with 4:28 to play.

The timeout worked for the Bulldogs. Iverson Molinar responded with threes in consecutive possession to retake the lead. Olivier Sarr’s left-handed baby hook was the go-ahead bucket for Kentucky. Unable to call timeout, Molinar drew a foul driving to the basket and got two free throws to fall with 7.1 on the clock.

Kentucky’s season ends with just a 9-16 record. The Wildcats showed fight, but like so many other games this season, they could not seal the deal to secure a victory.