Vandy spoils UK Senior Night
Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves tried to drive around Vanderbilt defender Trey Thomas during Wednesday's game at Rupp Arena. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky's bizarre season of ups and downs took another unexpected dip on Wednesday.
Vanderbilt's Jordan Wright hit a spinning jump shot in the lane with 2.7 seconds remaining to give the Commodores a stunning 68-66 win over the No. 23 Wildcats on Senior Night at Rupp Arena.
It marked only the third win for Vanderbilt in 45 visits to Rupp Arena and snapped a 14-game overall losing streak to UK.
"I think we still got a lot of basketball ahead of us," said Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse, who picked up his first win against the Wildcats in nine attempts. "But we're just happy about tonight, coming in and having something to play for at this time of the year.
"You know, beating the king at his house, it is pretty special."
The Commodores (17-13, 10-7 SEC) won for the seventh time in their last eight games and may be putting themselves in position to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
Kentucky (20-10, 11-6 SEC), which was coming off a 32-point win over Auburn that catapulted the Cats back into the AP Top 25 for the first time in the calendar year, suffered through one of its worst offensive nights of a season. The Cats shot 32% from the field, went 3-for-19 from the arc, and missed 10 free throws.
"When you shoot the way we shot today, you're going to lose a lot of games," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. "We got open shots, a lot of misses. We missed some free throws down the stretch that could have done some things."
Senior center/forward Oscar Tshiebwe tallied 21 points and 20 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to overcome the UK guards' poor shooting and an ankle injury that knocked point guard Cason Wallace out of the game early in the second half.
The Cats were already playing without senior point guard Sahvir Wheeler, who has missed the last seven games and had a minor surgical procedure this week.
Kentucky's backcourt combined to shoot 9-of-33 on the night. The Cats finished with only six assists.
“It was a struggle. I just kept shooting. Everyone just kept shooting, but it was one of those nights where you struggle from the field," UK senior guard Antonio Reeves said.
Vanderbilt won despite losing star center Liam Robbins to a severe ankle injury late in the first half. He scored just two points and did not have a rebound on a night when the Commodores lost the battle on the glass 48-35.
But the visitors were plus-15 from beyond the arc, including a big one to end the first half on an 8-0 run and another to beat the shot clock on a possession late in the second half.
*****
In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...
KEY MOMENT:
After Oscar Tshiebwe gave the Wildcats their first lead since the final 96 seconds of the first half on a tough post bucket with 1:10 remaining, Kentucky's defense broke down on the opposite end of the floor and allowed an uncontested layup to Vanderbilt's Jordan Wright to tie the game at 66. The Cats' Antonio Reeves then missed a mid-range jump shot in hopes of reclaiming the lead, and Vanderbilt's Tyrin Lawrence grabbed the defensive rebound. The Commodores put the ball back in the hands of Wright, and he delivered a smooth spin move near the free-throw line and swished a fall-away jumper that gave Vandy a rare W in Lexington.
GAME BALL:
Jordan Wright, Vanderbilt - The Commodores' senior swingman scored a game-high 23 points, including the game-winner with 2.7 seconds remaining. He was 8-of-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from 3-point range. He entered the game averaging 9.3 points on the season.
BY THE NUMBERS:
2nd - 20/20 game of the season for Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe, who recorded his 17th double-double of the season and 45th of his Wildcat career.
4th - Loss for UK at Rupp Arena this season. The Cats had lost only 11 games at home under John Calipari until the last three seasons in which they have lost 10.
11-2 - Run by Vanderbilt to close the first half and turn a five-point deficit to a four-point lead.
15th - Win by Commodores in Lexington in 100 games played.
36-26 - Vandy edge in bench scoring.
QUOTABLE:
"Well, first of all, Cason, they X-rayed. He's fine. It's not swelled. So, we'll see. I'm hoping that he'll be OK for Saturday, but I don't know." -- UK head coach John Calipari on the health status of freshman point guard Cason Wallace
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday at Arkansas in a 2 p.m. ET matchup on CBS. The Razorbacks (19-11, 8-9 SEC) fell 75-57 on Tuesday at Tennessee. The Hogs won the first meeting with the Cats, 86-73, on Feb. 7 at Rupp Arena.
