Wednesday, January 13, 1999TENNESSEE 47, KENTUCKY 46
Wildcats back down from rebounding battle
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati EnquirerLEXINGTON, Ky. — Tennessee has its national football champions and its top-ranked women's basketball team. Maybe the men's basketball players were getting jealous.
The Volunteers, who had largely been a disappointment after earning a No. 9 preseason ranking, hit four huge three-pointers down the stretch to shock sixth-ranked Kentucky 47-46 Tuesday night at Rupp Arena.
UK had season lows in shooting percentage, bench production and — arguably — heart. Knowing it was in for a physical battle, UK backed down and was outrebounded for the first time all season.
“It's the same as with our last two losses: When teams push us, we back off,” UK coach Tubby Smith said. “We get stagnant. We don't move without the ball. It's getting to be psychological.”
Tennessee (11-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) ended an 11- game UK winning streak in the series and claimed its first win in Lexington in 20 years — since before many of the current UT players were born. “I was shooting basketballs in my mama's stomach,” UT sophomore guard Tony Harris said.
UK (14-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) missed four potential game-winning shots. Trailing 47-46, UK fed senior forward Scott Padgett for a three-point try with 32 seconds left. When it missed, UK fouled UT's C.J. Black, and Black missed the front end of an ensuing one-and-one.
With 30 seconds for its final possession, UK worked the ball to slumping senior Heshimu Evans, and Evans missed a three-pointer from the left corner with 10 seconds left. The ball went out of bounds to UK.
After a time out, UK senior point guard Wayne Turner drove the left baseline and put up a six-foot jumper that skipped over the rim. Sophomore Michael Bradley rebounded and tried a putback with one second left, but Black tipped it and it fell harmlessly short.
“The play broke down, and I knew time was running out, so I had to go to the basket,” Turner said. “I wish I could have used two hands or (shot) off the backboard.”
UT shot a season-worst .304 but won the game with four big shots. With the game tied 35-35, Aaron Green sank a three-pointer to give UT the lead. When a Turner layup and two Evans free throws gave UK a 39-38 lead with 4:40 left, UT's Tony Harris gave his team the lead with a 22-foot three-pointer. UT led 41-39 with four minutes left.
After two Turner free throws, Wharton answered with a three-pointer. Then UK sophomore center Jamaal Magloire banked in a 19-footer with the shot clock expiring, and Padgett sank a three-pointer with 1:48 left for a 46-44 lead.
UT played for a three-pointer, and Wharton missed one. But when UT's Vincent Yarbrough rebounded, Harris fed Wharton for another three, and he hit the game-winner.
“The worst part is we didn't rebound in clutch situations,” Smith said. “We just seemed to be a half-step off all night.”
The Wildcats insist their confidence isn't shaken.
“We're concerned anytime we lose in the SEC,” Padgett said. “But we know we're a good team, a team capable of running the table ... We've got to get back in the gym and turn it up a notch. It doesn't get any easier from here.”
TENNESSEE (47) fg ft rb min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp Black 32 2-9 2-3 3-8 0 3 7 Yarbrough 33 2-8 0-0 7-12 0 1 4 Tor Harris 16 0-1 0-0 1-5 0 4 0 Ton Harris 31 3-11 3-3 1-1 2 2 11 Wharton 33 5-14 0-1 0-2 1 1 14 Green 16 1-5 0-0 0-0 0 1 3 Victor 14 3-5 0-0 3-8 0 2 6 Hathaway 19 1-2 0-2 2-5 1 2 2 Lee 6 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 _______________________________________________ TOTALS 200 17-56 5-9 17-41 4 17 47 _______________________________________________ Percentages: FG-.304, FT-.556. 3-Point Goals: 8-24, .333 (Black 1-1, Yarbrough 0-3, Ton Harris 2-6, Wharton 4-9, Green 1-4, Lee 0-1). Team rebounds: 4. Blocked shots: 5 (Ton Harris, Black, Green, Victor, Hathaway). Turnovers: 17 (Black 3, Ton Harris 3, Hathaway 2, Tor Harris 2, Victor 2, Yarbrough 2, Green, Lee). Steals: 4 (Black 2, Green, Ton Harris). KENTUCKY (46) fg ft rb min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp Padgett 36 2-9 2-2 1-5 3 2 7 Bradley 26 3-7 1-2 5-8 0 3 7 Magloire 34 4-7 2-4 1-3 1 2 10 Evans 24 1-9 2-2 2-7 0 1 4 Turner 32 5-14 3-4 1-3 0 1 13 Camara 11 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 2 Hogan 8 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 Smith 14 1-4 0-0 0-2 1 0 3 Prince 7 0-1 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 Allison 8 0-1 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 _______________________________________________ TOTALS 200 17-55 10-14 12-33 5 12 46 _______________________________________________ Percentages: FG-.309, FT-.714. 3-Point Goals: 2-17, .118 (Padgett 1-4, Evans 0-5, Turner 0-1, Hogan 0-2, Smith 1-4, Prince 0-1). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 4 (Magloire 3, Smith). Turnovers: 12 (Evans 3, Turner 3, Bradley 2, Hogan, Magloire, Padgett, Prince). Steals: 3 (Camara, Padgett, Smith). __________________________________ Tennessee 25 22 - 47 Kentucky 21 25 - 46 __________________________________ Technical fouls: None. A: 23,909. Officials: John Clougherty, Jim Burr, Michael Kitts.
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TENNESSEE 47, KENTUCKY 46