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'Cats shake 'whammy,' H<
Pair of 'do-better' talks spur Wildcats on as UK finally pulls out victory in closing minutes of UKIT
By TCP staff writer Jim Easterwood
LEXINGTON  The Marshall plan was to bring out the old double-whammy late in the game against Kentucky.
After all Northwestern State and Bowling Green had zapped the 'Cats into defeat with some late magic.
But Saturday night UK coach Eddie Sutton wasn't buying any whammy stuff. Neither was his team.
When Marshall took a 66-60 lead with 11:03 to play, Sutton called for time.
Enough was enough. Exorcise that demon once and for all from the hallowed halls of Rupp Arena.
Doubting Thomases are all over the world. But in Kentucky you can't have doubting LeRons or Richies or Chrises. It just won't do.
"Maybe they thought: 'Here comes that old demon again, maybe we'll have the whammy put on us,' " said Sutton. "That's why I called the time out. The kids responded. Maybe we grew tonight as a basketball team."
SPURRED BY SUTTON'S BENCHSIDE CHAT, and a cou pie of their own, the 'Cats went on to win 91-78 in the consolation game of the UKIT.
Arkansas State, which had hoped to play the 'Cats in the championship game, rolled over Bowling Green 80-51 for the title.
But while the 'Cats were putting on a new game face, the Marshall coach was making an unpleasant one.
Coach Rick Huckabay looked like Death sucking a lemon in the post-game media fling.
"I don't normally feel this way, but if I were running for President I'd hire those three SOBs (Huckabay used the unabridged version) to guard me. That's the way I feel."
Huckabay didn't cry about homerism. He never touched on the fact that Marshall had 29 fouls while UK had 20. Neither did he mention the fact UK hit 28 of 39 at the line to 16 of 24 for Marshall. The margin of defeat.
To Huckabay it was a matter of class distinctionSEC versus Southern Conference.
"Their attitude toward Mickey Mouse Marshall and some of these people in the tournament because they are SEC officials really irritated the hell out of me," said Huckabay. "It's not sour grapes. They called the consolation game about the way we playednot very good."
HUCKABAY WAS UPSET in general at the nature of the calls or non-calls as the case may be.
But he was incensed in particular at a couple of them down the stretch. One concerned flashy guard John Taft, who had 29 points.
Huckabay said Taft was bounced around pretty good when he took the ball inside. But with UK leading 82-78 with two minutes to play, Huckabay said Taft was hit by UK's Sean Sutton.
The versatile Chris Mills managed to hit on a three-point play to make it 85-78. Then came a crucial call.
Marshall's Andy Paul Williamson was called for charging on a three-point shot in which Richie Farmer looked to be the guilty party.
"That was a little more than I could handle," said Huckabay. "What bothered me was the way we were looked down on because we're supposed to be a Southern Conference school."
Huckabay again stressed he wasn't looking at the officials as three guys who were trying to give Kentucky a badly-needed Christmas present.
"No, I don't think they were trying to help Kentucky.. .not at all," said Huckabay. "They were looking at us and saying: 'Who are these piss ants?' "
Well, those ants weren't exactly ..uh, shooting blanks for most of the game. Especially the muscular Taft.
Taft had kept the Herd in the game with 19 first-half points as Marshall trailed 43-36.
Taft also had a three-point bucket and a 20-foot jumper in the first six minutes of the second half. But it was a pair of free throws by John Humphrey and two stuffs by Omar Roland that broke a 60-60 tie and set the stage for Sutton's reminder.
"I told them we're not playing to keep from losing but we are playing to win," said Sutton. "And, I said if any of them didn't feel that in their heart I wanted to know about it. Then I'd go out and get players who believe in themselves."
Mills, who had 17 points and 20 rebounds and was Sutton's choice
shall creeped buck to within
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got the rebounds, and some !', Quicker than you could say
for Player of the Game, then hit to get it started. And when Huckabay's team went into a zone for a while, it cost them
OR E\RMER DID. Richie hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 67-67 and UK then outscored Marshall 11-3 over the next three minutes to take a 78-69 lead with 5:27 to go.
However. Mike Scott, one of several bench-warmers who earned good reviews, tossed up a bad shot to change the flow of the game. On two free throws b\ Taft, M. 80-78 with 2:24 left.
But, as Huckabay said, live by sometimes die by it.
Marshall missed some threes. UK 'Cat (usually Farmer) went to the lint "piss ant" and it was all over.
LeRon Ellis led the 'Cats with 33 points, while Farmer followed Mills with 12. But Deron Feldhaus came off the bench with seven boards and six points and Scott had six points in a stretch where he played very well.
"I was pretty positive and kept egging my teammates on to work hard." said Ellis, who sometimes plays soft. "Tonight we fought back to stay alive."
Mills said the meetings did not dwell so much on negative things.
"We just tried to get out what we had to do to win," said Mills. "Everybody can't come out looking to score. We have to hit the big baskets and get the big rebounds and take the charges. Just everything it takes to win."
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