Tennessee Knocks Off No.2 Kentucky

Tennessee Knocks Off No.2 Kentucky

After avenging their lone loss of the season, the Kentucky Wildcats were ready to move on with the remainder of their schedule. 

But Tennessee had some avenging of its own that needed to be carried out.

J.P. Prince and Scotty Hopson led the Volunteers (21-7, 9-5 SEC) to a 74-65 win over the Wildcats (27-2, 12-2 SEC) in Knoxville.  The duo combined for 35 points, as Tennessee continued to bolster their NCAA tournament resume, which includes victories over Memphis and Kansas.

John Wall was only 6-16 from the field and committed 5 turnovers.

The Wildcats scored on consecutive dunks by DeMarcus Cousins (assisted by John Wall) to tie the game at 65.  But it was the Volunteers who came through in the clutch, scoring the game’s last 9 points to provide the final margin of victory.  Prince scored six of those points, including the winning points on a reverse layup.  Hopson put the final nail in the coffin with a three-pointer.

The Vols had a big advantage in points off the bench, outscoring the Wildcats 20-5.  Kentucky also shot poorly overall (21-60 for 35%) and even worse from 3-point range (2-22, 9%).  Tennessee only made 6 three-pointers, but posted a respectable 47.5% (28-59) from the field.

Kentucky star John Wall contributed 19 points and 6 assists for the Cats, and Cousins added 15 points and 14 rebounds.

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