PJ Washington led the way with 21 points, Tyler Herro adds 18 points and Kentucky holds Mississippi St. to 15-percent shooting from downtown as Kentucky wins fifth straight game 76-55.
1st Half
MSU jumps out to an early 4-0 lead before Keldon Johnson got hot. He scored 7 straight points for the Cats, almost 9 if he didn’t miss a dunk. Kentucky leads 10-6, 15:54 to play in the half.
Kentucky continued to pull away after Ashton Hagans went coast-to-coast for a lay in after a steal, putting the Cats on an 18-2 run. MSU would later go on a 6-0 run to trim UK’s deficit to 20-13, 11:43 to play in the half.
Nick Richards was called for his second personal foul in just four minutes. MSU would cut the deficit to 7 on a couple of occasions before Tyler Herro hit his third deep ball of the night, giving the Cats a 28-18 lead, 7:04 to play in the half.
Shooting has slowed down a bit for Kentucky, but they still hold a double-digit lead over MSU at the final media timeout. 32-22, 3:36 to play in the opening half.
HALFTIME: Kentucky 34, Mississippi St. 26
2nd Half
It was pretty dull on both sides from the end of the first half and through the beginning of the second half. That changed when Hagans led a transition offense down the floor and found PJ Washington who threw down a monstrous dunk. Kentucky leads 41-32, 15:23 left.
Bulldogs battle back and trim the UK lead to 41-39 after a 7-0 run in a 1:28 span, forcing Cal to call a timeout with 13:36 to play.
UK gets the crowd back on its feet after EJ Montgomery came up with a block that led to some more transition offense. Herro found Nick Richards who climbed the ladder to throw it down. Herro was later fouled on a three-point attempt before the media timeout. UK leads 46-41, 11:09 to play.
Kentucky stays composed and goes back up by double digits after Immanuel Quickley hit a 3, forcing the Bulldogs to call timeout. 54-43 UK, 8:16 to play.
PJ Washington came up with a couple of big three’s down the stretch, finishing with a game-high 21 points as kentucky wins its 5th straight game 76-55.
