GAMEDAY Mens Basketball
Kentucky 82, Mississippi State 74
(AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
By STEVE McCLAIN
Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kellan Grady scored eight points in overtime, including consecutive 3-pointers about a minute apart, and Sahvir Wheeler added two free throws to lift No. 12 Kentucky over Mississippi State 82-74.
Grady finished with 18 points and Oscar Tshiebwe added 21 points with 22 rebounds for Kentucky (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference), giving Wildcats coach John Calipari his 800th career victory - albeit the hard way.
After missing a 3-pointer at the end of regulation, Grady regrouped in the extra session to drive the baseline for a layup before adding 3s with 2:23 and 1:13 remaining for an 80-74 lead.
Wheeler twice made the first of two free throws to extend the lead on the Bulldogs, whose only basket in overtime came from Iverson Molinar, a layup with 2:43 left.
The Wildcats led 53-38 with 12:25 left before the Bulldogs (13-6, 4-3) rallied by holding Kentucky scoreless over four minutes. Molinar scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half to lead Mississippi State.
Sahvir Wheeler added 15 points and six assists, and Keion Brooks Jr. added 12 points and six rebounds for Kentucky, which played without guard TyTy Washington Jr. (neck injury).
| Mississippi State | ||||||||||||
| Player | Pos | Min | FG-FGA | FT-FTA | 3P-3PA | OR-TR | Ast | Blk | Stl | TO | PF | Pts |
| D. Jeffries | F | 33 | 1-6 | 2-2 | 1-4 | 0-4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| C. Matthews | F | 33 | 1-6 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 2-8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| G. Brooks | F | 30 | 4-10 | 2-8 | 1-3 | 3-5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| S. Moore | G | 37 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 0-3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| I. Molinar | G | 36 | 13-21 | 4-4 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 30 |
| J. Davis | 28 | 2-4 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| R. Watts | 17 | 3-6 | 2-2 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| A. Garcia | 9 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| D. Fountain | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 224 | 27-63 (.429) |
14-23 (.609) |
6-19 (.316) |
8-33 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 19 | 74 | |
| Kentucky | ||||||||||||
| Player | Pos | Min | FG-FGA | FT-FTA | 3P-3PA | OR-TR | Ast | Blk | Stl | TO | PF | Pts |
| O. Tshiebwe | F | 37 | 7-11 | 7-11 | 0-0 | 7-22 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 21 |
| K. Brooks Jr. | F | 30 | 5-10 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 2-6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| K. Grady | G | 43 | 7-16 | 0-0 | 4-11 | 0-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
| D. Mintz | G | 35 | 2-9 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| S. Wheeler | G | 32 | 5-10 | 5-7 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 15 |
| D. Allen | 18 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 1-5 | 2-3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| J. Toppin | 15 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| L. Ware | 7 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| B. Hopkins | 5 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| D. Collins | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 223 | 31-66 (.470) |
14-20 (.700) |
6-23 (.261) |
12-44 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 20 | 82 | |
