(Photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
In desperate need of a win, BJ Boston delivered exactly what Kentucky needed: triples and many more. The freshman dropped a maximum of three or three careers to help the Cats get over Auburn in the second half and hold on for a win. The 82-80 win makes a three-game losing streak and improves Kentucky to 6-13, 5-7 in the SEC game.
With six at the break, Kentucky stopped the locker room fire at the break. The cats hit five triples in the first 5:30 minutes to take control of the game. Through the second media timeout, Great Britain beat Auburn 30-13, after scoring only 30 points in the entire first half.
Boston led the three-point train from Kentucky, burying 5 of 8 at night to score 17 points. He also played aggressively on defense. Boston had three steals in the first five minutes and finished the game with four takeaways. Isaiah Jackson was absolutely incredible. The freshman finished the night with 18 career points, 11 rebounds (his first double-double) and two blocks, including the one that eventually won in Kentucky.
Despite Kentucky’s excellent attacking play, they couldn’t slow down a late Auburn run. JT Thor was essentially unguarded, leading all scorers with 24 points. He made three big ones after another. Thor’s fifth in the center of the city reduced the United Kingdom’s advantage to two, with just over a minute to play. Auburn equalized the game with 46 seconds left on a transition bucket for a UK turnover, but Davion Mintz was prepared to save the day, delivering three more late to give a UK advantage that he did not would give up.
Like almost every game in Kentucky this season, the game has gone downhill. Unlike many previous games, this time the Wildcats left the winning field.