Otega Oweh scored 23 points and Collin Chandler nailed a game-clinching 3-pointer in the final minute as Kentucky notched a 72-63 win over visiting Ole Miss on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.
Chandler finished with 12 points and Jasper Johnson came off the bench to add 11 as the Wildcats (14-6, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) earned their fifth straight win. Kentucky made only 18 of 50 shots from the field but was able to convert 28 of 38 foul shots.
AJ Storr scored 20 points off the bench and Malik Dia added 16 for the Rebels (11-9, 3-4), who fell below .500 in the conference. Ole Miss connected on just 21 of 65 shots from the field.
The Wildcats led just 63-60 when Chandler drained a long 3-pointer from the left wing with 47.7 seconds left. He was 1 of 9 from the field prior to the shot.
Malachi Moreno, Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen each provided a pair of free throws in the final 35 seconds to pad the final stats.
Kentucky kept a pair of lengthy streaks going with the victory. It’s won 15 straight games against the Rebels at Rupp Arena and has beaten them in 15 of the last 17 matchups.
The pregame storylines concerned how the Wildcats would adapt without guard Kam Williams (broken foot) and if Ole Miss could respond to coach Chris Beard’s pleas for more aggressive play after a 78-66 home loss Tuesday night against Auburn.
The first half didn’t provide a lot of positive answers for either team. The Rebels connected on just 7 of 28 attempts from the field, although they at least got to the line 13 times, and Kentucky bricked its way to 32 % shooting from the field. It went 4 of 16 on 3-pointers.
Ole Miss held a 15-11 lead at the 10:11 mark before going ice-cold and scoring just eight points for the half’s remainder. The Wildcats took enough advantage for a 29-23 lead at the break.
–Field Level Media
