University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
18-7, 5-6
Kentucky
16-7, 9-2
Tennessee Rally Comes Up Short Against Kentucky 103-95
February 14, 2001 | Men's Basketball
 Kentucky's Cliff Hawkins (1) drives against Tennessee's Harris Walker (5). (AP Photo/Wade Payne) |
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tayshaun Prince scored a career-high 30 points and Keith Bogans added 22 Wednesday night as No. 22 Kentucky held off No. 15 Tennessee 103-95 in a rugged game.
The Wildcats (16-7, 9-2 Southeastern Conference) extended their winning streak to six despite winning only their third SEC road game.
The struggles continued for Tennessee (18-7, 5-6), which had won 18 straight at home, but had not won at all since its last home game against Vanderbilt on Feb. 3.
The Vols, playing without injured point guard Tony Harris, lost three in a row for the first time since January, 1998. Harris missed his second game because of a sprained ankle.
The Vols, who trailed most of the game and by as much as 19, looked out of it until a late rally sparked the furious final minutes.
They cut Kentucky's lead to four with 2:19 left after a 13-1 run in which Isiah Victor scored five straight points.
Then Ron Slay and Bogans went for a loose ball by the Kentucky bench. The rest of the Wildcats encircled them on the floor. Harris jumped off the Tennessee bench, throwing down a towel, and ran toward the scuffle. He was taken away by the Tennessee coaches as Vols fans cheered loudly.
Slay was assessed a foul, his fifth, and Bogans made both free throws for a 95-89 lead. But Harris Walker drove to the basket and then Vincent Yarbrough scored again to cut it to 95-93 with 1:40 left.
Gerald Fitch and Prince made two free throws apiece to restore the Wildcats' lead to six with 47.4 seconds remaining. Walker's basket trimmed it back to four, but Prince went back to the line twice and converted all four free throws to seal the win.
 Kentucky's Keith Bogans, top, and Tennessee's Ron Slay battle for the ball. Slay was called for a foul on the play as Kentucky defeated Tennessee 103-95. (AP Photo/Wade Payne) |
Yarbrough led Tennessee with a career-high 28 points and Victor added 21, Slay had 18 and Walker finished with 12.
Fitch scored 11 points and Jason Parker added 10 for Kentucky.
Tennessee got as close as seven twice in the first two minutes of the second half. But Prince and Bogans responded just like they did in the Wildcats' first win, 84-74 on Jan. 16, a game that began Tennessee's woes.
Kentucky used a 12-3 spurt to increase its lead to 19. Bogans made two baskets and Prince's 3-pointer put the Wildcats ahead 73-54 with 12:51 left.
Yarbrough tried to rally Tennessee with three straight 3-pointers, the last cutting the lead to 79-65 with 9:25 to go.
The Tennessee fans sensed the momentum, and Yarbrough's putback that cut it to 12 elicited deafening cheers.
But Prince silenced them again with another 3, stirring up the pockets of Kentucky fans.
In the first three minutes, Tennessee looked like it had the magic that carried it to a 13-1 record through December, jumping to a 12-3 lead after the Wildcats committed three turnovers.
But quickly Kentucky came back with an 11-0 run.
