Kentucky snaps three-game losing streak, uses late run to silence pesky South Carolina
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Kentucky ended a frustrating three-game losing streak — capped by Saturday’s controversial loss at Auburn — with a 72-63 win at South Carolina on Tuesday.
The Wildcats held a slim 59-57 lead with 2:52 remaining in this one as they looked to avoid another hit to their NCAA Tournament hopes. A 10-0 run, though, put the game out of reach en route to their first win since Feb. 7.
The upset-minded Gamecocks led by as many as seven in the early stages of the first half. But the Wildcats pulled ahead on an Aberdeen three that made it 16-15 with 8:20 to go in the frame. Kentucky eventually took a 28-21 lead into the locker room as South Carolina went without a field goal for just over six minutes at one point.
The Gamecocks, though, wouldn’t go quietly. Elijah Strong’s basket made it a 48-48 game with 8:28 left before Kentucky pulled back in front by as much as 59-53 with 3:30 to go. Later, Mike Shravjamts’s three-pointer pulled South Carolina to within 59-57 with just under three minutes on the clock before the Wildcats finally pulled away for the win.
Despite just eight points and 3-of-13 shooting from Otega Oweh, Kentucky received 19 points from Denzel Aberdeen, who went 6-of-12 from the floor and 4-for-6 from three-point range. Mo Dioubate added 12 while Andrija Jelavic and Colin Chandler scored 11 and 10, respectively. Malachi Moreno had a game-high 11 rebounds.
Meechie Johnson had 18 points for South Carolina. Shravjamts (12) and Strong (11) were the Gamecocks’ only other double-digit scorers.
Kentucky looks to make it two in a row when it visits Vanderbilt on Saturday. South Carolina, losers of eight of its last nine, visits Georgia.
Kentucky can exhale with Tuesday’s win. Which other SEC teams will finish strong to make the Big Dance?
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
