Jaxson Robinson scored a season-high 27 points to lead the sixth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats to a 95-90 road victory over the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss., on Saturday.
Ansley Almonor, who finished with 11 points, hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second half for the Wildcats (13-3, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) to answer a big run from the Bulldogs (14-2, 2-1) and give Kentucky coach Mark Pope career win No. 200.
The Wildcats, coming off a loss Tuesday at unranked Georgia, led by as many as 14 points with less than 16 minutes remaining in regulation, only to see the Bulldogs rally to take the lead with eight minutes remaining. However, Kentucky made 16-of-32 from beyond the arc to pull out a big victory on the road.
Robinson, who finished making 9-of-12 shots and 7-of-10 from the 3-point line, scored 16 in the first half for the Wildcats, helping the guests take a 49-44 lead into halftime. A 9-0 run early in the second half extended the lead to 65-51 after an Andrew Carr three-point play with 15:55 left.
However, the Bulldogs responded with a 15-3 run to get back into the game. Then Cameron Matthews and Claudell Harris Jr. hit treys on consecutive possessions to give the Bulldogs an 80-78 lead with 8:17 left.
That’s when Almonor, a senior forward who finished one point off his season high, hit the first two of his three treys on the night. The first two, coming 42 seconds apart, restored the Wildcats lead to 84-80.
A Josh Hubbard layup with two minutes left cut the Wildcats lead to 91-90, but the Bulldogs, seeking their first regular-season win over Kentucky in nearly 16 years, could not get over the hump one more time.
Otega Oweh finished with 15 points and eight rebounds for Kentucky, who also got 13 points from Carr. Lamont Butler added 10 points and eight assists, while Amari Williams posted his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Matthews tied his career high with 19 points and added 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Josh Hubbard added 15, and RJ Melendez scored 14 for the Bulldogs, who saw their eight-game winning streak snapped. Harris had 13, and Michael Nwoko contributed 10.
–Field Level Media
