Kentucky picked a good time to unleash the kind of perimeter firepower that Mark Pope has been touting all season.
The No. 6 Wildcats made 16 of 32 shots from beyond the arc Saturday to fuel a hard-fought 95-90 win over No. 14 Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs hit a dozen treys of their own in a wild shootout that featured 72 attempts from long range at raucous Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss., but UK had more in its arsenal.
Grad senior wing Jaxson Robinson splashed seven of those 3-pointers en route to a season-high 27-point performance to lead Kentucky (13-3, 2-1 SEC). The Cats also got 11 points off the bench from senior wing Ansley Almonor, who knocked down three 3-pointers in a two-minute span late in the second half to help fend off a fierce MSU rally.
"What a fun night for our guys," said Pope, who picked up his fourth win over a Top 15 team this season. "What a great basketball game. What a great environment. We're so blessed that every single game we play is like the biggest game and against opponents like this.
"Our guys were just tough and courageous and together all night long."
Kentucky shot 56% overall, dished out 21 assists on 34 buckets, and won the battle on the glass 41-33. Grad senior center Amari Williams had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds while also dishing out six assists and blocking two shots.
Junior guard Otega Oweh scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Cats. Grad senior point guard Lamont Butler scored 10 points and dished out eight assists without a turnover. Andrew Carr gave UK another double-figure scorer with 13 points.
It was just the fourth time this season that Kentucky has topped Pope's target goal of at least 30 attempts from the arc. It was also the fourth time the Cats have made more than 12.
The Bulldogs made a dozen but were not as efficient with 40 attempts. They shot 45% from the field.
Mississippi State (14-2, 2-1 SEC) lost despite placing five players in double-figure scoring and having two more with eight. Cameron Matthews led the Bulldogs with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.
It marked Kentucky's 19th consecutive regular-season win over the Bulldogs, including 10 in a row at Humphrey Coliseum. The 10 straight wins in Starkville matched a program best from 1966-75.
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
After leading by 14 points midway through the second half, Kentucky saw Mississippi State rally on the strength of five consecutive three-point trips down the floor. The Bulldogs took an 80-78 lead on a Claudell Harris Jr. 3-pointer at the 8:17 mark. During the under-8 media timeout, UK head coach Mark Pope brought Ansley Almonor off the bench. The Cats' ninth man in the rotation immediately stroked a 3-pointer to regain the lead, then sank another on the next trip to make it 84-80. UK would never trail again. For good measure, Almonor splashed a third trey at the 5:16 mark, giving him nine points in a two-minute span.
GAME BALL:
Jaxson Robinson, Kentucky -- The grad senior wing was down and out after his disappointing five-point performance in UK's 82-69 loss on Tuesday night at Georgia, but there were no signs of any lingering confidence issues in Starkville. Robinson had 16 points in the first half and tallied nine more before the first media timeout of the second half. He finished 9-of-12 from the field, including a 7-of-10 night from the arc.
BY THE NUMBERS:
4 - Top 15 wins by Kentucky this season, including Duke, Gonzaga, Florida, and Mississippi State. It marks the highest total for any team in the country.
7 & 13 - Ties and lead-changes between the teams.
28 - Combined 3-pointers were the second-most ever in an SEC game for UK. The Cats and LSU combined for 29 on March 4, 1995.
200th - Career coaching win for UK's Mark Pope.
2008 - The last time a UK player (Patrick Patterson vs. Longwood) had at least 10 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and two blocked shots in a game as Amari Williams did tonight.
QUOTABLE:
"This game had a lot of swings, a lot of drama, a lot of stuff going on, but our guys were great about being 'right here, right now.' We made a mistake, fine, let's move on to the next play. We made a great play, great, let's move on the next play. Right here, right now. That's how you have to play Top 25 teams in these venues." -- UK head coach Mark Pope
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday at Rupp Arena against No. 10 Texas A&M. The Aggies (13-3, 2-1 SEC) are coming off a 94-88 loss to No. 5 Alabama today in College Station. Tipoff for UK and A&M is slated for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
