Ben Roberts
February 28, 2024 (4 min read)
For the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday night, it was better late than never.
Reed Sheppard made a runner in the lane with half a second left to give Kentucky a 91-89 victory over Mississippi State on Tuesday night at Humphrey Coliseum. The Cats trailed for the most of the game.
Rob Dillingham’s three-pointer with 4:24 left gave UK its first lead of the night, 72-71. Except for a 3-3 tie that lasted only 28 seconds early in the first half, the Bulldogs led the whole game after scoring the first point.
Sheppard and Antonio Reeves both had significant scoring efforts in the second half. Sheppard finished with 32 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Reeves scored 21 points.Sheppard scored 23 points in the second half and finished the game for the Wildcats, who led 76-75 with less than two minutes remaining until Sheppard raced off five straight points to give the Cats a bigger lead down the line. Sheppard sank 6 of 6 free throws in the game’s closing 70 seconds before his winning shot.
The buzzer sounded after Sheppard’s shot, but officials reset the clock by 0.5 seconds. Mississippi State’s inbounds pass went into Sheppard’s hands, and the game was over.
Sheppard shot 11-for-14 from the floor, including all seven two-pointers and six free throws.
Freshman Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard led the team with 34 points, including a three-pointer that tied the game with 10 seconds left.
John Calipari increased his record against Mississippi State to 19-1 throughout his 15 seasons as Kentucky’s head coach, and he is now 9-0 in The Hump. His sole loss against the Bulldogs was in the 2021 SEC Tournament, the final game of UK’s disastrous 2020-21 season, which ended with a 9-16 record.
The Cats have not lost in Starkville since January 15, 2008, the first season under Billy Gillispie.
