LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A turnover on a potential game winning possession dooms Kentucky in an 81-80 loss to Arkansas.
Davion Mintz hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 12 seconds left before Arkansas drew a questionable foul at the other end with 4 seconds left. Jalen Tate hit the two free throws to put the Razorbacks back on top.
Kentucky tried to push it up the court for the game winning shot, but they turned it over.
Head coach John Calipari said after the game that this was the strongest finish the team has had this season. We know Kentucky has struggled mightily in the games final minutes this year.
Arkansas led by 12 with six minutes to play. I think a lot of us thought the game was over at that point, but the Wildcats showed some fight in the game's winding minutes, and Calipari looks at that as a silver lining.
"They threw daggers today," said Calipari. "Finally, they threw daggers."
What makes this loss an even tougher pill to swallow? Kentucky was 14-26 from downtown. That's the team's best three-point shooting performance of the season.
A lot the guys played well tonight. Five players scored in double-figures.
B.J. Boston had a team-high 17 points with 7 rebounds, including a late three that pulled Kentucky to within one at 78-77.
Olivier Sarr hit a couple of big three's in Kentucky's comeback attempt. He was 3-5 from downtown and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Davion Mintz and Devin Askew each finished with 11 points, while Keion Brooks Jr. finished with 10 points.
*This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the evening.
