No. 8 Wildcats Claw Past LSU
Wayne Turner's basket with 2:37 to play was Kentucky's final points of the game but the eighth-ranked Wildcats held on for a 63-61 victory over LSU on Wednesday night.
Turner's field goal gave Kentucky (20-3, 9-1 Southeastern Conference) a 63-56 lead. Reggie Tucker made two free throws with 2:23 left to bring the Tigers (9-11, 2-8) within five points.
Maurice Carter's 3-pointer with 1:06 left brought LSU within 63-61 and the Tigers had a chance at tying the game, but Carter's shot bounced off the rim as time expired.
Kentucky, which reached the 20-victory plateau for the 43rd season, missed its final three shots from the field after Turner's final basket.
LSU, which outshot Kentucky 45 percent-38 percent, has not beaten the Wildcats since 1992, a stretch of seven games.
The 63 points for Kentucky matched their lowest total of the season. The Wildcats beat Vanderbilt 63-61.
Jeff Sheppard led 11 Kentucky scorers with 12 points, while Turner and Scott Padgett each had 11.
Carter had 19 points for LSU, while Willie Anderson had 16.
LSU, which shot only 36 percent in the first half, went on a 15-9 run to take a 29-23 halftime lead. Kentucky, which was averaging 47 percent from the field going into the game, shot just 32 percent in the first half.
Kentucky turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, leaning into the Tigers, arms extended, hands reaching in, around and over. The affect was immediately noticeable.
LSU scored only five points in the first five minutes of the second half and three of those were foul shots.
Kentucky had taken its first lead of the game at 36-34 on Sheppard's rebound and dunk after a steal before LSU made its second basket of the half. The Wildcats stretched it to 43-36 with 13:30 remaining as Allen Edwards and Cameron Mills hit consecutive 3-pointers.
The Tigers refused to go down quietly, though, coming back to take a 49-47 lead at 8:46 as Anderson followed up two free throws with a 3-pointer, cutting the lead to 59-56 with 3:55 left.
Kentucky, which was coming off an 86-78 loss to Florida, has not lost consecutive games since 1994.
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