CRAWFORD | Gonzaga bullies Kentucky to unprecedented 3rd straight Rupp loss, 89-85 | Sports

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) – Gonzaga was playing for its NCAA Tournament life. Kentucky was playing to avoid an unprecedented third straight loss in Rupp Arena. By now you’ve probably heard. Gonzaga is still breathing, after an 89-85 victory. And Kentucky has made the wrong kind of history.

Raise your hand if you thought this Kentucky team, of all the Wildcats’ recent teams, would lose four games at Rupp Arena, let alone three in a row. As Gonzaga celebrated at midcourt, boos rained down the court in Rupp, where the Wildcats once again were without answers on defense in a game that was very much within their grasp.

This was a game, put simply, that neither team could afford to lose. Time after time down the stretch, Kentucky was just one stop away. And time after time, Gonzaga delivered, pounding the ball into the post, crashing the offensive glass. For the game, Gonzaga scored 50 points in the paint.

In Rupp Arena, did I mention that?

"You've got to give Gonzaga credit," UK coach John Calipari told Tom Leach on his postgame radio show. ". . . I am really disappointed in some of the stuff, the fight of this team. . . . Our issue was what was happening on defense. When we went up 5 or whatever we were up, we took a tough shot and most of their stuff was around the basket."

Kentucky was just as good offensively. And the teams traded offensive punches in the final minutes.

But Kentucky, which was playing without starting power forward Tre Mitchell, had no punch on defense, or on the defensive boards.

Gonzaga big man Graham Ike had 23 points when he fouled out with 43 seconds left. Kentucky freshman Reed Sheppard scored all 21 of his points in the second half.

Then, with 13.9 seconds left, Kentucky got its stop. Gonzaga’s Nolan Hickman drove the lane with the shot clock dwindling, and Justin Edwards stuck his arm in as Hickman went up. Officials ruled it a held ball and Kentucky got the ball back.

Kentucky brought the ball down, Sheppard dribbled to his right and lobbed a ball inside for Theiro, but Gonzaga junior Ben Gregg, at 6-10, jumped up to intercept it and was fouled. Gregg went to the line and missed his first free throw with 5.1 seconds left. It was Gonzaga’s first missed field goal of the half. He made the second.

Up 87-84, Gonzaga fouled Antonio Reeves at midcourt to avoid the three-pointer. Reeves made the first, then missed the second on purpose, and Hickman rebounded, made two free throws, and Gonzaga walked out with its first Quad I victory of the season.

The end-game excitement came after a first half to forget for Kentucky. Gonzaga pummeled the Wildcats on the boards 26-17 and took a 10-0 edge in points off turnovers even though Kentucky turned it over only four times. Gonzaga also outscored Kentucky 24-14 in the paint and, in general, played with a tougher edge.

Theiro was the bright spot in the half for the Wildcats, with eight points and three rebounds.

The second half was a different story. After Gonzaga’s Nolan Hickman made a pair of free throws to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 12 to open the half, Kentucky went on a quick 11-2 run, then moments later, after a couple of Gonzaga scores, went from six down to six up with a quick, 12-0 run over the next two minutes, fueled by back-to-back dunks from Bradshaw and Thiero, a three-pointer by Reeves and five straight points from Sheppard.

Kentucky matched its first-half field goal total just nine minutes into the second half.

Ike picked up his fourth foul on a Reeves drive with 8:30 left in the game. He went to the bench with 21 points and Kentucky leading 66-64. When he returned Gonzaga had regained a three-point lead.

Sheppard blocked a three-pointer and drove for a layup and was fouled with 4:07 left, hitting the free-throw to tie the game at 75. But 18 seconds later, Anton Watson posted Reeves up under the basket and made an easy layup and was fouled to take the game into the final media timeout with a two-point lead.

And so it went.

Reeves finished with 17 points for Kentucky, while Thiero had 15.

Gonzaga got 12 points off the bench from Braden Huff, giving it 35 points from the center position. Kentucky got 13 from its three big men of Onyenso, Bradshaw and Zvonimir Ivisic.

The Bulldogs outrebounded Kentucky 43-31 for the game. They got 17 points each from Hickman and Watson and 14 from Gregg. They shot 47% from the field. Kentucky shot 46.

And if Kentucky didn’t open with great urgency on Saturday, it has plenty of reason now. At 16-7 now, it is behind the eight-ball on NCAA seeding, though the SEC will afford it many good opportunities down the stretch.

But first, it will have to figure out how to take advantage of them.