VICTORY, KENTUCKY! Wildcats battle for 77-72 win vs. Duke

ATLANTA, Ga. — Victory, Kentucky.

Sometimes the most-wild games deserve the most-straight forward explanation. Big Blue Nation craved a blue-blooded win in the annual Champions Classic, and Kentucky fans got just that, in epic fashion: a 77-72, come-from-behind win over No. 6 Duke, made possible by a relentless Mark Pope squad.

Andrew Carr came up big down the stretch for his team, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Otega Oweh had 15 points, including the clinching free throws, to go along with six boards and two steals.

The threes came early for this Kentucky team, which started the game a perfect 5-5 from deep. Carr drained two long balls in the game's first five minutes, and Kriisa wasted no time getting on the board himself.

That offensive spark slowed midway through the first half, with three Wildcats (Otega, Carr and Butler) quickly picking up two fouls apiece.

Having to play it a bit more safe, the Kentucky offense didn't look like the one Big Blue Nation had grown comfortable with through UK's first two games. Duke went on a 9-0 run while Kentucky failed to score for three-and-a-half minutes of game action, and the Blue Devils lead grew to as many as ten.

Kentucky shrunk its deficit back to single digits before halftime, but Duke still went to the locker room with the lead, 46-37.

After a 15-minute reset, the Wildcats came out firing. Selfless ball movement was back on display from the get-go, with Oweh sinking a three less than a minute into the second half, followed by a Williams bucket.

It was Duke's turn to run cold midway through the second half, when the Blue Devils went 0-for-6 and the Cats cut it to three, 56-53. Flagg helped end the drought for Duke, sinking a three and giving his team back its cushion.

Not for long.

After an otherwise-quiet night, Brandon Garrison came alive for six consecutive points, sparked by a big rebound that led to a basket in transition. His run cut it as close as two, 63-61, Duke.

Kerr Kriisa and Carr stepped up next for the Cats; Kriisa, first, with a three, followed by a momentum-shifting basket through traffic (and a subsequent, sunk free throw) by Carr to tie the game at 67-all.

Neither blue blood would back down, but Kentucky made the buckets when it mattered most, including at the charity stripe. The Wildcats finished 17-24 from the free throw line: 9-for-11 in the second half.

The Wildcats have a full week off from game action and will return to Rupp Arena next Tuesday, November 19. The Wildcats will host Lipscomb for a 7 p.m. tipoff on the SEC Network+.

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