Kentucky Vs Auburn: Oweh’s Career-High 29 Not Enough in 75-74 Road Loss
Otega Oweh scored a career-high 29 points, but Auburn hit a game-winning basket with 1. 2 seconds left to beat Kentucky 75-74 on Saturday night inside Neville Arena in Auburn, a finish that left the Cats one point short in a game tied 10 times with 11 lead changes. Kentucky Vs Auburn ended as a one-possession thriller that featured momentum swings throughout and a late Tigers rally.
Kentucky Vs Auburn: Final moments and decisive plays
With the score tied late, Kentucky came up with a steal and found Otega Oweh for a breakaway dunk that gave the Cats a 72-71 lead with 48 seconds remaining. Kentucky forced a defensive stop, then Denzel Aberdeen made two free throws with 18 seconds to play to make it 74-71. Auburn hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to get within one, and then hit a game-winning basket with 1. 2 seconds left to secure the 75-74 victory for the Tigers.
Otega Oweh’s career-high and box score highlights
Otega Oweh led Kentucky with a career-best 29 points and paced the Cats with 12 first-half points. Denzel Aberdeen finished with 16 points for the Cats while Collin Chandler added 10. The halftime score was 39-35 in favor of Kentucky after an Oweh three-point play late in the first half.
Scoring swings, runs and the flow of the game
The game featured constant back-and-forth action: it was tied 10 times and featured 11 lead changes, with the largest lead for either team reaching nine points. Kentucky scored first on a Malachi Moreno layup, but Auburn then scored the next four. Aberdeen tied the game with a layup before Auburn retook the lead at 6-4. A Brandon Garrison tip-in tied the contest, and Collin Chandler hit a three that briefly put Kentucky up 9-6 before Auburn hit three free throws to knot the score again.
Moreno scored on a half hook in the lane to give the Cats the lead at another stretch, but Auburn answered with a four-point run to go up 13-11. Aberdeen and Oweh traded baskets that saw Kentucky move in front again, then Auburn responded with another run to retake the advantage. Oweh tied the game at 18-18 with a drive to the rim, but the Tigers again answered with five straight points to push a lead to 23-18. Mo Dioubate scored underneath for Kentucky at one point, while Auburn hit a three to push a lead to 26-20.
Late in the first half Chandler’s elbow jumper and Moreno’s layup brought Kentucky within two, and after another pair of Auburn free throws Chandler converted three free throws to cut the deficit to 30-29. Oweh scored to tie the game and then hit one-of-two at the line to give Kentucky a 32-31 advantage. The first half closed with Andrija Jelavic and an Oweh three-point play producing a 39-35 Kentucky lead.
Second-half runs and critical stretches
Auburn opened the second half with two points, but Kentucky answered emphatically. Chandler dunked, Jelavic connected from three, and Oweh finished a fast-break dunk to push Kentucky in front 46-37 and force an Auburn timeout. The Tigers responded with seven straight points to cut the margin to two, and Oweh’s two free throws stopped that run temporarily. Auburn then worked back to within one, and Garrison’s fast-break score plus an Aberdeen three extended Kentucky’s edge to 53-47 before Auburn rattled off 10 consecutive points to seize a four-point lead.
Dioubate’s two free throws trimmed the deficit, and after another Auburn score Oweh scored four straight to knot the game at 59. The Tigers then went back in front by two, and later built a 66-60 advantage after a three-point play and a dunk. Aberdeen’s three kept Kentucky close, but Auburn’s free throws pushed the lead to five before Oweh answered with five unanswered to tie the game at 68 with 2: 01 to play. Auburn reclaimed a one-point edge on a three before Oweh made two-of-three free throws to cut it to one, setting the sequence that led to the final-minute drama.
Game context and record
Kentucky fell 75-74 and is listed at 17-10, 8-6 in the Southeastern Conference in the provided context. The match at Neville Arena delivered a tense finish and multiple momentum swings, underscored by Otega Oweh’s career night that ultimately fell short.
