Hiccup at Rupp
Tennessee holds on to shock No. 6 Kentucky 47-46
Posted: Wednesday January 13, 1999 01:14 AM
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Outplayed: Aaron Green and Tennessee were the first team to outrebound Kentucky this season AP |
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- In a physical, low-scoring game, it was Tennessee's 3-point shooting that gave the Volunteers their first win at Kentucky in a generation.
Tennessee scored just four baskets in the last 12 minutes Tuesday night, but all four were 3s -- the last two of them by Brandon Wharton -- as the Volunteers upset the Wildcats 47-46.
"I just let it go," Wharton said of the game-winner, a 20-footer from the top of the key with 1:08 remaining.
When the horn sounded, with Kentucky's Michael Bradley struggling to get a shot off from under the basket, the Volunteer players rushed the floor in celebration.
Tennessee (11-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) came away with its first win over Kentucky (14-4, 3-1) since 1993 and its first win in Lexington since 1979. The Vols also held the Wildcats to their lowest point total since Jan. 18, 1987, when they lost 76-41 to LSU.
The win kept up a remarkable run of recent success by Tennessee teams. The Vols won the national championship in football with a victory over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4, and the Tennessee women's basketball team won at No. 1 Connecticut during the weekend.
"Needless to say, this is a good win for our program," second-year coach Jerry Green said.
Green's team had started the season with a No. 9 ranking but fell out of the Top 25 with November losses to Arizona and Miami (Ohio). The Volunteers opened conference play on Jan. 2 with a 90-62 loss at Auburn, but have since won three in a row.
"That game [Auburn] was a big wake-up call for everybody," Wharton said.
The Volunteers led 33-26 with 15:10 remaining, but had to fend off a comeback by Kentucky that produced four lead changes and a pair of ties down the stretch.
Wharton hit his third 3 of the game with 3:30 left to give the Vols a 44-41 lead, then nailed another from beyond the top of the key to give Tennessee the winning edge.
In between Wharton's shots, Kentucky took the lead with a 16-foot baseline bank shot by Jamaal Magloire and a 3 by Scott Padgett which made it 46-44 Kentucky with 1:48 left.
Tennessee was the first team to outrebound Kentucky this season, holding a 45-36 edge over the Wildcats and their "big" lineup of Magloire, a 6-10 center, the 6-10 Bradley and the 6-9 Padgett.
"The worst part was we didn't rebound the ball," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. "We just didn't seem to have the quickness, the zip we needed."
Wharton led all scorers with 14 points. Freshman Vincent Yarbrough, who was recruited by Kentucky, led the Volunteers with 12 rebounds in his Rupp Arena debut.
"Vincent really made the difference in getting to the defensive glass," Green said. "If I had to pick one person who made the difference, it had to be Vincent."
Wayne Turner had 13 points for Kentucky and Michael Bradley pulled down eight rebounds.
Though each team shot 30 percent from the field, the Volunteers were 8-of-24 from beyond the 3-point arc, compared to 2-of-17 for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats' poor long-distance performance came three nights after a season-best 14-of-23 3-point shooting performance at Vanderbilt.
The Wildcats' performance left Smith at a loss for an explanation.
"You would think with our fans here we'd raise our level of play, play with more intensity," he said. "We seem to get stagnant -- that seems to happen when teams are physical with us."
After the Wildcats had erased the Volunteers' 33-26 lead with a 9-2 run, Tennessee started hitting 3s.
Aaron Green made a 22-footer from straight away with 6:20 left for a 38-35 lead. After a pair of free throws by Heshimu Evans gave Kentucky the lead, Tony Harris hit another 3 from nearly the same spot, giving Tennessee a 41-39 lead with 4:11 left.
Wharton then hit his two 3s to give Tennessee the win.
Padgett finished with seven points, giving him 1,005 for his Kentucky career. He is the 45th Wildcat to reach that milestone.
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