(Photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
In desperate need of a victory, BJ Boston delivered exactly what Kentucky needed: three points, and many of them. The freshman on guard dropped five trios, his career record, to help the Cats overtake Auburn in the second half and secure victory. The 82-80 victory brings a streak of three games lost and improves Kentucky to 6-13, 5-7 in the SEC game.
Losing six at halftime, Kentucky left the halftime locker on fire. The Cats hit five points in the first 5:30 minutes to take control of the game. In the second timeout for the media, the UK beat Auburn 30-13, after scoring just 30 points in the first half.
Boston was driving Kentucky’s three-point train, burying 5 of 8 in the night to score 17 points. He also played aggressively in defense. Boston had three steals in the first five minutes and ended the game with four takeaways. Isaiah Jackson was absolutely incredible. The freshman striker ended the night with 18 points, 11 rebounds (his first double-double) and two blocks, which further guaranteed victory in Kentucky.
Despite Kentucky’s excellent attack game, they failed to slow a late Auburn streak. JT Thor was essentially helpless, leading all scorers with 24 points. He did a big three after another. Thor’s fifth game in the city center reduced the UK lead to two with just over a minute to play. Auburn tied the game with 46 seconds remaining in a UK transition bucket, but Davion Mintz was prepared to save the day, delivering three more at the end to give the UK an advantage they would not miss.
Like almost all Kentucky games this season, the game has reached its limit. Unlike many previous games, this time the Wildcats left the court victorious.