Kentucky made sure to leave its disappointment on Rocky Top.

The No. 6 Wildcats bounced back from their humbling loss at Tennessee with a hard-fought 80-76 win over Ole Miss on Tuesday night in Oxford, Miss.

In a back-and-forth game that featured 11 ties and nine lead changes, UK came up with most of the clutch plays down the stretch. Freshman guards Tyler Herro and Immanuel Quickley sank four consecutive free throws in the game's final 17 seconds to seal the win.

"We're hanging on," UK head coach John Calipari said. "It's a good win on the road. (Ole Miss) has done this to every team they've played here."

With the game tied at 56 with 12:44 to go, the Cats finally got some separation with a 16-9 spurt that featured 11 points from Washington, a 3-pointer by Herro and two free throws from Nick Richards.

Ole Miss could get no closer than three the rest of the way, making only three of their final 14 shots from the field.

Kentucky (25-5, 14-3 SEC) played its fourth consecutive game without grad transfer forward Reid Travis, their most experienced player and most physical presence in the post, who is recovering from a sprained knee. The freshman duo of Herro and Keldon Johnson, after struggling to shoot 4-for-20 at Tennessee, helped compensate for his absence.

Johnson led the Cats with 22 points, including 14 in the first half to keep his team close while Washington was saddled with foul trouble. Herro finished with 20 points, while Washington (13) and Ashton Hagans (10) also reached double figures for UK.

The Cats shot 55.4 percent from the field while holding the Rebels to 40.7 percent.

Ole Miss (19-11, 9-8) got a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds from Terence Davis. Breein Tyree added 21 for the Rebels, who fell just short in securing a win that might have guaranteed them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

*****

In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...

THE GOOD:

Kentucky showed some mental toughness late in the game, locking in defensively (Ole Miss went through a 1-for-10 shooting stretch), grabbing some key rebounds, and knocking down five of its final six free throws. Several different players made big contributions: a blocked shot and rebound by EJ Montgomery; a lob dunk by Nick Richards; and the final four free throws drained by Tyler Herro and Immanuel Quickley under pressure.

THE BAD:

PJ Washington ran into foul trouble once again, riding the bench for the last 12:58 of the first half. Without him scoring a point or grabbing a rebound, UK trailed 39-38 at the half.

THE UGLY:

Kentucky made a lot of clutch plays down the stretch, but with two minutes left in the game and the Cats hanging onto a five-point lead, UK turned the ball over on back to back possessions. One was a shot-clock violation and the other a mishandled ball. Those are the type of late-game mistakes that can cost you dearly in March.

GAME BALL:

Tyler Herro, Kentucky -- This one could have gone either way with Herro or his wingman, Keldon Johnson, but we'll go with the more efficient 8-for-12 shooting night for the Milwaukee native. Herro also had five rebounds, three steals, and buried two huge free throws with 17 seconds left and the game hanging in the balance.

BY THE NUMBERS:

4 - Blocked shots for UK's EJ Montgomery.

7 - Turnovers for the Cats, their lowest total in the last six games.

10 - Straight wins for UK over Ole Miss, including two in a row at The Pavilion.

13-4 - Second-chance points advantage for Ole Miss.

34.3 - Percent shooting (12 of 35) for Rebels in the second half.

37-29 - Ole Miss advantage in the rebounding column.

55.4 - Percent shooting (31 of 56) from the field by Cats.

300th - Win for Calipari at UK.

QUOTABLE:

"The teams we're playing are playing desperate. That's why I'm on these guys about playing a complete game. You can't get up eight and let people back in it." -- UK head coach John Calipari

UP NEXT:

The Cats return home for the regular-season finale on Saturday against Florida. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. ET on CBS. The Gators (17-12, 9-7 SEC) will play host to No. 10 LSU on Wednesday before traveling to Lexington.