SEASON REVIEW
29
SEC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL
Kentucky 100, Florida 76 (March 8, 1996) New Orleans, La. (Superdomc) S Attendance: 21,248
The top-ranked Wildcats opened rheir SEC Tournament play by defeating the Florida Garors for the third time in 1996. The Cats had downed Florida 77-63 in Rupp Arena on Feb. 3, then blew out the Gators 94-63 in Gainesville on Feb. 24. Florida kepr rhe SEC tourney game close throughour the first half, and the Cats led by just two (38-36) with 2:39 left in the first period. But Kentucky scored five straight points in the final 27 seconds of the half to take a 49-40 lead into intermission.
Kentucky conrinued to build the lead in the second frame, edging out to a 17-point (66-49) lead on an Antoine Walket jumper with just over 14 minutes left. The Gators nevet gor closer than 15 after that as UK won its 26th straight game.
Five Cats scored in double figures, led by Walker's 21 poinrs and six rebounds. Derek Anderson added 18 points and freshman Ron Mercer had a career-high 17. Center Damerri Hill led rhe Gators with 20 points.
Honda	FG	3FG	FT	K	F A TO B			S TP
Brian Thompson	3-6	0-0	1-2	7	2 3	3	2	2 7
LeRon Williams	6-10	0-0	1-1	4	3 0	1	1	0 13
Dametri Hill	8-15	1-3	3-5	4	3 2	5	1	1 20
Gteg Williams	3-5	2-3	04)	4	2 7	7	0	0 8
Eddie Shannon	2-3	2-2	2-2	0	2 3	6	0	1 8
Greg Stolt	2-10	0-7	2-2	1	2 0	0	0	1 6
Damen Maddox	0-0	04)	04)	1	3 0	0	0	0 0
Dan Williams	5-6	4-4	0-0	0	1 1	0	0	0 14
Anttone Lee	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	2 5	0	0	0 0
Totals	29-55	9-19	9-12 22 20 19 24				-	5 76
Kentucky-	FG	3FG	FT	R	F A TO B			S TP
Derek Anderson	7-13	2-5	2-2	-	4 1	3	0	5 18
Antoine Walket	8-11	0-0	5-6	6	3 4	3	0	1 21
Walter McCarty	6-12	2-4	1-2	8	2 1	2	3	1 15
Tony Delk	2-7	1-4	2-2	4	1 2	2	0	2 7
Anthony Epps	1-2	1-2	0-0	2	2 6	3	0	0 3
Mark Pope	2-4	04)	2-3	5	2 1	1	1	0 6
Jeff Sheppard	2-3	1-1	5-6	1	0 4	1	0	1 10
Ron Mercer	6-9	1-2	4-4	3	2 2	0	0	1 17
Wayne Turner	0-2	0-0	0-0	2	0 2	2	0	0 0
Allen Edwards	1-2	1-2	0-0	0	1 0	0	:	0 3
Totals	35-65	9-18	21-25	35 17 23		17		11 100
Halfrime: UK 49, UF 40; FG%: UF 52.7, UK 53.8; 3FG%: UF 474, UK 50.0; FT%: UF 75.0, UK 84.0; Officials: Clougherty, Dodge, Marcum. Technicals: None
SEC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL
Kentucky 95, Arkansas 75 (March 9, 1996) New Orleans, La. (Superdome) 33 Attendance: 24,556
Antoine Walker registered his eighrh double-double of the season (21 points, 14 rebounds) to lead Kentucky to a surprisingly easy 20-poinr victory over rhe Razorbacks. Walker's board work helped Kentucky to a 52-36 rebounding edge, including 26 offensive rebounds that led to 25 second-chance points.
Despite missing 12 of its first 16 shots, UK never trailed. The Cars scored the final six points of the first half and the first six of the second period to take a 50-29 lead with 17:35 left. Walter McCarty added 17 points and nine rebounds for UK as the Cats downed Arkansas for the third straight time, including a 95-93 overtime victory over the Hogs in the 1995 SEC tourney championship game and an 88-73 win in Rupp Arena earlier in the season.
Arkansas, playing without two players who had started against UK in the loss at Rupp, was led by center Darnell Robinson with 19 points and nine rebounds.
The victory gave UK Coach Rick Pitino his 14th straight SEC Tournamenr win and advanced his squad ro its fifth srraight SEC rourney title game.
Arkansas	FG 3FG		FT	R	F A TO B				S TP
Mat Ion Towns	643	5-7	1-1	i	4	3	4	0	4 18
Derek Hood	2-6	0-0	04)	5	2	0	6	0	0 4
Darnell Robinson	7-17	0-2	5-9	9	3	5	2	4	1 19
Kareem Reid	2-12	2-6	1-2	4	0	4	6	0	0 7
Par Bradley	2-7	2-3	(W	3	3	1	3	0	1 6
Lee Wilson	0-2	04)	04)	2	0	1	1	1	0 0
Landis Williams	3-5	04)	4-7	4	2	1	2	3	0 10
Anrwon Hall	3-5	1-2	2-2	0	0	0	0	1	1 9
Ali Thompson	1-2	04)	04)	2	1	0	0	0	1 2
Nicky Davis	0-0	04)	0-0	0	2	0	1	0	0 0
Team				4					
Totals	26-6410-20		: i-2!	36 17 15			25	9	8 75
Kenrucky	FG	3FG	FT	R	F A TO B				S TP
Derek Anderson	1-1	0-0	0-0	-	2	;	0	;	0 2
Anroine Walker	9-15	04)	3-3	14	4	5	2	l	2 21
Waltet McCarty	6-12	0-1	5-5	9	4	1	3	4	3 17
Tony Delk	6-18	1-9	1-1	6	0	5	2	0	1 14
Anthony Epps	2-5	2-5	04)	3	1	1	1	0	0 6
Wayne Tumet	4-5	04)	1-1	1	2	2	0	1	3 9
Ron Mercer	4-9	1-4	2-2	4	2	1	3	0	1 11
Mark Pope	1-5	0-3	2-2	4	1	1	1	1	2 4
Jeff Sheppard	2-5	1-2	0-1	1	2	1	0	0	1 5
Allen Edwards	2-4	04)	04)	2	0	2	0	0	0 4
Oliver Simmons	1-2	04)	0-2	0	2	0	1	0	0 2
Nazr Mohammed	0-1	04)	04)	1	2	0	3	1	0 0
Cameron Mills	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0 0
Team				:					
Totals
38-82 5-24 14-17 52 22 22 16 8 13 95
Halftime: UK 43, UA 29; FG%: UA 40.6, UK 46.3; 3FG%: UA 50.0, UK 20.8; FT%: UA 61.9, UK 824; Officials: Rutledge, Patillo, Lopes. Technicals: None.
Doton, but not out, Tbn\ Delk and Vandy's Frank Seckar battle for a loose ball. Delk finished the game with 23 points on UK's Senior Day.
SEC TOURNAMENT FINAL
Mississippi State 84, Kentucky 73 (March 10, 1996) New Orleans, La. (Superdomel  Attendance: 24,462
The Kentucky Wildcats and Coach Rick Pitino saw a string of accomplishmenrs end in the Southeastern Conference championship game as Mississipppi State won its first league tournament crown by downing the No. 1-ranked Cats 84-73. The loss snapped rhe nation's longest winning streak at 27 games and marked the first loss ever in an SEC tournament game for Pitino, who was 14-0 and had guided his UK teams to four straight tournamenr rides. UK had also won 26 straight games over SEC opponents. UK's last loss against an SEC foe was also against MSU, who srunned the Cats 76-71 in Rupp Arena, Feb. 14,1995.
After Marcus Bullard broke a 36-36 tie with a 3-poinrer wirh 1:13 remaining in the first half, the Bulldogs never looked back, raking a 43-38 halftime lead, then starting the second half with a 14-2 mn thar made ir 57-40 with 16:10 left. UK got no closer than eight after that.
The game marked rhe worst shooting performance of the year for the Cats, who hit 33.3 percent from the field. Srate, meanwhile, canned 54.4 percent of its shots - the best by a UK foe all season -- including 9-of-15 3-poinrers (60.0 percenr). Junior forward Dontae' Jones, who was named tourney MVP, scored 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Kentucky was led by Tony Delk's 16 points. Both Antoine Walker and Walter McCarty earned all-roumament team honors.
Mississippi State	FG 3FG	FT	R	F A TO B			S TP
Russell Walters	3-3 0-0	2-2	1	4 1	1	0	0 8
Dontae'Jones	12-18 3-5	1-2	11	1 0	1	1	1 28
Erick Dampiet	2-11 04)	24	10	2 6	5	4	1 6
Darryl Wilson	6-9 44	643	6	3 2	4	0	1 22
Marcus Bullard	2-9 2-5	04)	3	4 9	7	0	2 6
Whit Hughes	34 0-1	0-2	1	3 2	1	0	1 6
Ban Hyche	2-2 04)	2-2	2	0 0	0	0	1 6
Ty Washington	1-1 0-0	0-0	1	1 0	0	0	1 2
Team			5		2		
Totals	q.j;	13-20 42 18 20 21				5	8 84
Kentucky	FG 3FG	FT	R	F A TO B			S TP
Detek Anderson	2-10 0-2	0-0	5	2 1	2	0	3 4
Antoine Walket	4-13 0-1	1-2	8	0 1	3	1	1 9
Waltet McCarty	3-8 24	7-8	5	5 0	2	0	0 15
Tony Delk	5-19 3-10	3-3	1	1 1	1	0	3 16
Anthony Epps	1-3 1-3	3-3	1	1 4	0	0	1 6
Wayne Tumet	24 04)	04)	1	2 0	0	0	1 4
Ron Mercer	24 0-1	04)	1	2 2	1	0	0 4
Mark Pope	3-7 0-3	5-7	8	4 1	1	1	1 11
Jeff Sheppard	0-1 04)	0-0	1	1 0	1	1	1 0
Oliver Simmons	1-1 0-0	0-0	2	1 1	1	0	0 2
Allen Edwards	1-2 0-0	04)	1	1 1	1	0	0 2
Team			J				
Totals	24-72 6-24	19-23	36 20 12		13	3 11 73	
Halftime: MS 43, UK 38; FG%: MS 544, UK 33.3; 3FG%: MS 60.0, UK 25.0; FT%: UK 82.6, MS 65.0; Officials: Clougherty, Patillo, Shaw. Technicals: None.