(Photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
BJ Boston was in dire need of a win and delivered just what Kentucky needed: three-pointers, and plenty of that. The freshman squad downed a career-high five threes to help the Cats get past Auburn in the second half and hold on to a win. The 82-80 win breaks a three game loss streak and improves Kentucky to 6-13, 5-7 in SEC play.
Trailing six hours at half time, Kentucky left the locker room on fire at half time. The Cats hit five three-pointers in the first 5:30 minutes to take over the game. At the second media timeout, UK scored Auburn 30-13 after scoring just 30 points in the entire first half.
Boston ran the Kentucky three-point train, buried 5-of-8 on the night to score 17 points. He also played aggressively on defense. Boston had stolen three times in the first five minutes and ended the game with four takeaways. Isaiah Jackson was absolutely incredible. The freshman forward finished the evening with a career-high 18 points, 11 rebounds (his first-ever double-doubles) and two blocks, including the one that ultimately secured a victory in Kentucky.
Despite Kentucky’s excellent offensive play, they couldn’t delay a late Auburn run. JT Thor was essentially unguarded, leading all scorers by 24 points. He made one big three after another. Thors fifth from center cut the UK lead to second with just over a minute to play. Auburn leveled the match with 46 seconds remaining on a transition bucket of a UK turnover, but Davion Mintz was willing to save the day by delivering another late three to give UK a lead they didn’t want to give up.
Like almost every game in Kentucky this season, the game was pushed to the limit. Unlike many of the previous games, this time the Wildcats left the court victorious.