Reeves, Tshiebwe lead Kentucky over No. 5 Tennessee 63-56

By AL LESAR
Associated Press

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Antonio Reeves scored 18 points and Oscar Tshiebwe had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead Kentucky to a 63-56 victory over No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday.

Kentucky led 58-50 with 3:28 left in the game. Two free throws by Santiago Vescovi and two buckets by Uros Plavsic closed the gap to two with less than a minute to play.

A Wildcat turnover gave Tennessee a shot to tie or take the lead, but Zakai Zeigler and Plavsic missed down low.

The Wildcats (11-6, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) showed a physical presence and dominated the Volunteers (14-3, 4-1) on the boards, 43-23.

C.J. Fredrick scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half as the Wildcats led by seven at halftime.

The Tennessee big man Plavsic, who scored 19 points, was the only Vol to match Kentucky’s physicality. Vescovi scored 13.

Kentucky’s effort came on the heels of a disappointing loss to South Carolina earlier in the week.

C.J. Fredrick scored eight in a row and had 10 at the break for Kentucky. Vescovi, who tweaked his shooting (left) shoulder in a collision early in the game, had seven in the first half as Kentucky led, 33-26.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

During his 36 seasons as a head coach in college basketball, Rick Barnes has led his teams into the AP Top 25 a total of 299 weeks. That includes 131 weeks in the Top 10.

BIG PICTURE

Kentucky: Besides the frustration that comes with six losses this early in the season, the Wildcats have had to deal with injury problems. G Cason Wallace (back) and F Jacob Toppin (shoulder) have been sidelined. Both started against the Vols. … Big man Oscar Tshiebwe leads the SEC with 10 double-doubles this season. … Sahvir Wheeler leads the SEC with 6.3 assists a game. This is his third straight year on top. … John Calipari coached his 36th game against Tennessee. No other coach has led his team against the Vols in as many games.

Tennessee: Senior G Santiago Vescovi has been hot lately. He came into the Kentucky game averaging 16.5 points over his last five games while shooting 60% from the field and 57% from 3-point. … Zakai Ziegler, who has gotten used to his role as a point guard coming off the bench, had 27 assists in his last three games heading into Saturday. … Chris Lofton (2004-08), the SEC’s all-time leader in 3-point baskets made (431), had his No. 5 hoisted into the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena.

UP NEXT

Kentucky: Hosts Georgia on Tuesday.

Tennessee: Visits Mississippi State on Tuesday.

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