It was never going to be easy. Kentucky Basketball didn’t get the lead to double digits until late in the second half Wednesday afternoon against LSU in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Heck, it took a signature performance from Brandon Garrison of all players for the Cats to create some separation.
Garrison’s 17 points included 11 in the second half. It was part of a game-changing 15-6 run for Kentucky that stretched the Cats’ lead from 64-62 to 79-68 and was the difference in an 87-82 win.
Kentucky will now take on Missouri Thursday afternoon at 12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT in the Second Round of the SEC Tournament.
First Half
Kentucky led 46-43 at the end of the first half. Way too close.
The Cats got going early with Anrija Jelavic exploding for seven points in the first segment.
Kam Williams checked in at the 14:10 mark of the first half to a thunderous ovation from the large BBN crowd at Bridgestone Arena. He made a 3-pointer with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half that stretched Kentucky’s lead to 23-17. Williams played nearly six straight minutes after checking in, and he returned later in the first half.
Malachi Moreno picked up two fouls in the first five-plus minutes. He did not play the remainder of the second half.
Otega Oweh paced Kentucky in the first half. His and-one with 14:36 remaining got him going, and he finished the first half with 13 points. Most importantly, perhaps, he was a perfect 5-5 from the free-throw line.
Denzel Aberdeen had eight points, while Collin Chandler and Jelavic each had seven points. Brandon Garrison had six points on 3-4 shooting.
Kentucky shot 52.9 percent from the floor, including 4-12 from 3-point range. They had six assists to just two turnovers.
LSU shot 48.5 percent from the floor and 5-11 from 3-point range. They had eight assists to just four turnovers. Michael Nwoko led the Tigers with 13 points, including 5-6 from the free-throw line. Max Mackinnon had 10 points and two 3-pointers.
Seven different players on both teams scored in the first half.
Second Half
LSU tied the game 47-47 within the first two minutes. But on the game-tying dunk by LSU’s Pabol Tamba, Tamba was called for a Flagrant 1 for hitting Malachi Moreno in the head. Moreno made both free throws, which was followed by an Otega Oweh jumper and a quick 4-0 run for the Cats.
After being held scoreless in the first half, Mouhamed Dioubate got off the mat and scored seven points to help the Cats stay in front midway through the second half.
Brandon Garrison. Um… where did that come from? Seven straight points, including two straight 3-pointers. Did not have that on the bingo card. It came at a critical juncture in the game. Kentucky went from up 64-62 to 73-64.
It clearly got the Cats rallied from what Garrison did. The Cats’ defense started to finally lock in, holding the Tigers to 1-8 shooting as the Cats stretched the lead to 79-68.
LSU answered with back-to-back buckets to cut the Cats’ lead to 79-72. Mark Pope called a timeout with 3:58 remaining. After an LSU bucket made it 79-74, Otega Oweh took the ball to the rack to stretch Kentucky’s lead back to seven points. Oweh reached 20 points on the play.
LSU wouldn’t go away. They had the ball down 81-76 with 2:10 remaining, but a throw-away on the pass inside resulted in an empty trip.
Oweh answered with a long 2-pointer after getting his own offensive rebound. Denzel Aberdeen followed with two clutch free throws to make it 85-78 Kentucky with 40 seconds to play.
Despite the last minute taking seemingly half an hour to play, Kentucky held serve and closed out an 87-82 win.
MVP: Brandon Garrison
Kentucky doesn’t win this game without Garrison’s explosiveness and efficiency. Garrison had 17 points while going 7-9 from the field and 2-3 from beyond the arc. He also had five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Two of Garrison’s rebounds were on the offensive glass.
Highlights
Box Score
Kentucky vs. LSU Twitter Reactions
Even at 12:30 on a Wednesday afternoon, Big Blue Nation was ready for this one. Here are the best reactions from Big Blue Nation and others during Wednesday afternoon’s game.
