Kentucky holds off late Auburn push to snap losing skid

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky saw a 14 point second half lead slip away late against Auburn, but the Wildcats held on to snap a 4-game losing streak with an 82-80 win.

After trailing 36-30 at halftime, the Wildcats came out scorching in the second half, opening on a 30-11 run in pursuit of that 14 point lead with 10:36 to go.

Things would get dicey, however.

The Tigers would put together a couple of runs before tying the game at 77 with under a minute to play.

For the second consecutive game, Davion Mintz hit a clutch three-pointer late, hitting the eventual game-winner with 33 seconds left to make it 80-77.

After making 14 three-pointers in Tuesday's loss against Arkansas, Kentucky made 11 more on Saturday.

B.J. Boston remained hot from beyond the arc. He was 4-5 from downtown on Tuesday, and followed it by hitting 5-8 on Saturday. He finished with 17 points for the second consecutive game and also had four steals.

Isaiah Jackson was a force on both ends He had a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jackson also had two of Kentucky's 10 blocks. Olivier Sarr had four.

Sarr, Mintz, and Devin Askew each finished with 9 points while Keion Brooks Jr. finished with 12 points.

Kentucky was outrebounded 44-36 but forced 17 turnovers that led to 24 points.

This was the break the Wildcats needed desperately. They've competed in 95% of their games this season and always fell short. The loss to Arkansas was looked at as a turning point as the team didn't collapse in the final four minutes.

Granted, they almost saw this one slip away, however, walking off of the floor with a win is what's most important.

Auburn hasn't beaten Kentucky at Rupp Arena since 1988.

Kentucky will now hit the road to face Vanderbilt on Wednesday at 7 p.m.