16c &zfo' Pcuvie
Cats Get Second Road Win In Overtime
Auburn raced to two quick leads in overtime and appeared to be on its way to a win as Person scored twice around Bret Bearup's two free throws.
Madison, who really came to life in this game, came right back and hit a 25-footer to knot the score at 47-47 after he had been forced to sit out the final minutes of regulation with a sprained knee.
After Walker's two free throws, Auburn raced the length of the floor and put up a shot at the buzzer. As the ball slipped in front of the basket, the red light behind the goal signifying the expiration of time came on, but the horn failed to sound.
Auburn got off two more shots and a loose ball hit the floor before the angered Kentucky bench protested vigorously to the scorer's table. Finally, officials noted the situation and declared the game over.
Not A Game For Great Scorers
For the contest, Kentucky won out despite hitting only forty percent (20 of 50) from the field as Auburn hit a miserable 34 percent on 21 of 61 from the field.
Rebounding and turnovers kept Auburn in the game. The Tigers held a slim 37-36 edge in the boards department and committed five fewer turnovers than UK.
The Wildcats' strongest play came from Walker and reserve Richard Madison who canned 14 points with some of his finest outside shooting of the season. Walker led both clubs with 15 points. They were the only Wildcats in double figures.
Winston Bennett did a fine job on the boards with 8 rebounds and Bret Bearup turned in a fine defensive game and had six rebounds in 29 minutes.
Perhaps the deciding factor was the inside defense of Auburn's great inside game where the three starters hit only 11 of 40 from the field, the Cats' outside defense also did its job, limiting the Tigers' guards to four of 14 from the field. Last season, Ford and White whipped UK almost single-handedly in Auburn.
Coach JoeB. Hall's Postgame Comments
"Us handling their defense and making some changes in ours was he key to us winning today."
"At the start of the second half we were missing the easy shots and Auburn was able to take the lead. We did some changing in our offense and started getting the shots we needed.
"Auburn is a good team -- well coached, and it is hard to beat them at home."
"We both were playing with young teams, that can account for the low score and sloppy play by both.
Kenny Walker
(On his winning play)
The play was designed to go one-on-one, but they double teamed me and I had to kick it back out to Roger. Give him a lot of credit, he got it right back to me as I posted up.
(On his two free throws)
I have to thank Bill Keightly (UK equipment manager). He put a bobbie pin on my pants during the timeout for good luck. He told me it would bring good luck. And I have to thank my high school coach (Clyde Zachery). He's been getting on me for my poor free throw shooting. He told me to relax and concentrate more.
(On his friends and relatives at the game)
This is like a homecoming for me because of all mv friends and relatives
are here. My home is a lot closer to Auburn than Georgia. It's good to see so many of them and be able to play in front of them.
(On teammate Richard Madison) He just doesn't know how good he is yet. The kid can really play. He was rushing it a little at first. I just told him that they were leaving him open and to keep shooting. Richard is going to be a great one.
Ed Davender
(On his extended playing time) I feel extremely good about the win tonight and proud for the team. I really felt into the game.
(On the SEC race) This really puts us right back in it (SEC race), but you don't know how long it will last. We've just got to keep working hard every day.
(On his jumper which gave UK the lead late in the game)
That was a big play. We hadn't been in the lead for a long time and we didn't want to let them have the ball with the score tied.
(On his free throw shooting)
I just don't know what it is. (Davender was 24 of 28 prior to SEC and is 7 of 17 in the SEC). I'm just going to have to work on it some more.
Richard Madison
(On his offense)
I really felt good there tonight after the first -couple shots. They really started falling. It's a good feeling to be able to contribute.
(On his return after the injury) My adrenaline was flowing so fast I forgot how much it hurt, but it's just a sprain. Coach Hall told me I could be an excellent rebounder if I'd just work for position and not worry about things.
(About his two key rebounds in overtime)
I just went inside strong and blocked out. A rebound in that situation is just like scoring. It's that important in a close game.
Winston Bennett
(On the Cats' aggressive defense) We're starting to play defense the right way again, and we'll get those steals when we anticipate and jam up the passing lanes. We're not all the way back, but we're coming back. We just got to keep our heads up and go
Coach Sonny
Smith's
Postgame
Another Tough Loss For Smith Against UK
Comments
"I think it was the poor shooting by us in the first half that got us down. We shot better in the second half, but that wasn't enough.
"We took good shots overall, they just didn't fall for us. We didn't turn it over, either, which has been one of our problems."
"I think rebounding was the key. Kentucky did a good job getting the second shots in crucial situations."
"This has to be one of the most disappointing losses I've had since I've been in coaching because it shouldn't have happened. The game should be decided by the players.
"The loss puts us in a tough situation because this was a game we had to win at home."