Wildcats get victory over Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s hard to believe these days, but it was just last week when Kentucky lost its fourth game in a row.
Just don’t ask Kevin Knox to reflect on that losing streak, at least not after the Wildcats put together one of their most dominating halves of the season in an 87-72 win at Arkansas on Tuesday night.
Knox scored 23 points in the win for Kentucky (19-9, 8-7 Southeastern Conference), which won for the sixth straight time over the Razorbacks. It was also the Wildcats second straight win after its long-forgotten losing streak, a victory that helped them avoid losing five out of six games for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
“I don’t remember that (losing streak) at all,” Knox joked. “I just remember the last two weeks.”
Knox was one of five players to finish in double figures for Kentucky, which shot 46.3 percent (31 of 67) in the win and overcame an early 11-point deficit.
It was the dominating fashion with which the Wildcats took control of the game in the second half that left the Bud Walton Arena crowd stunned. After Arkansas (19-9, 8-7) took a 61-56 lead midway through the half, Kentucky outscored the Razorbacks 31-11 to end the game — thanks in large part to a 23-12 rebounding edge in the half and 46-29 advantage for the game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points for the Wildcats, while PJ Washington finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Quade Green added 12 points and Jarred Vanderbilt 11 for a Kentucky team led by its usual influx of freshmen, one that appears to have righted its ways after its fourgame swoon.
“The thing I can’t do for these kids is there’s experiences they’ve got to live that I cannot talk them through,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “When you’re playing all freshmen, there’s experiences they have to go through — one of them is being down 11-0 on the road to a team that was so hyped to play this game that it was crazy.”
Daryl Macon scored 26 points to lead the Razorbacks, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. It was the ninth time in the last 10 games Macon has scored 20 or more points. Anton Beard added 13 points and Jaylen Barford scored 12 for Arkansas.
The Razorbacks entered the game 14-1 in Bud Walton Arena with an average margin of victory of 17.2 points per game. They opened Tuesday night on an 11-0 run, but Kentucky recovered from the slow start to end the half tied 43-43 — thanks in large part to a 22-10 halftime edge in points in the paint.
The change in momentum was a sign of things to come during the Wildcats game-clinching run in the second half.
“They made a terrific run at a crucial time,” Macon said. “After they went on that run, they were just clicking the (rest) of the game.”