Kentucky Vs Auburn: Oweh’s Career High Not Enough in 75-74 Loss at Neville Arena
In a wild kentucky vs auburn finish, 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 Saturday night at Neville Arena in Auburn. The loss dropped Kentucky to 17-10, 8-6 Southeastern Conference.
Final play decides a back-and-forth night
Auburn’s basket with 1. 2 seconds remaining settled a game that featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes, with the largest lead for either team nine points. Kentucky trailed and led repeatedly before the Tigers’ last shot produced the 75-74 final.
Kentucky Vs Auburn — Oweh’s 29 can’t carry the Cats
Otega Oweh finished with a career-high 29 points and led everyone with 12 in the first half, but his night ended one point short. Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points and Collin Chandler scored 10 for the Wildcats. Kentucky opened the scoring on a Malachi Moreno layup but never managed to sustain a decisive edge.
Runs, ties and key sequences
The kentucky vs auburn game swung frequently. Auburn answered Kentucky’s opening layup with four straight. Aberdeen’s layup tied it before Auburn nudged ahead 6-4. A Brandon Garrison tip-in evened the game and a Chandler three pushed Kentucky in front 9-6, but Auburn hit three free throws to knot the score again.
Moreno’s half-hook restored the UK lead briefly before Auburn ran off four to go up 13-11. Aberdeen’s three and an Oweh jumper gave Kentucky a 16-13 edge before Auburn scored five straight. Oweh’s drive tied it at 18-18 only for the Tigers to respond with five in a row and take a 23-18 advantage.
Mo Dioubate scored inside while Auburn hit a three to push the margin to 26-20. Aberdeen’s baseline bucket cut the deficit to four, but the Tigers answered to lead by six. Chandler’s elbow jumper made it 28-24 and Moreno’s layup closed the gap to two. After two Auburn free throws, Chandler made three free throws to trim the lead to 30-29, then Oweh tied the game with a score on the ensuing sequence.
On Kentucky’s next possession Oweh hit one-of-two at the line to give UK a 32-31 lead, but Auburn reclaimed the edge and then extended it by three. Oweh dunked to get Kentucky within one and Andrija Jelavic pushed UK ahead 36-35. An Oweh three-point play capped the half and the Wildcats went to intermission up 39-35.
Second half momentum swings and late drama
Auburn opened the second half with two points, but Kentucky answered as Chandler dunked, Jelavic hit a three and Oweh finished a fast-break dunk to make it 46-37 and force an Auburn timeout. The Tigers responded with seven straight; Oweh’s two free throws briefly halted the run, but Auburn closed to within one on the next possession and then tied or took back the lead several times thereafter.
Garrison converted a fast-break bucket and Aberdeen buried a three to push Kentucky to 53-47, only to see Auburn answer with a 10-0 run to take a four-point lead. Dioubate made two free throws to cut that margin, and after another Auburn score Oweh strung together four points to tie the game at 59. Auburn then regained a two-point edge.
Moreno made one-of-two at the line before Auburn produced a three-point play and a dunk to lead 66-60. Aberdeen’s three trimmed it to three, but Auburn’s free throws pushed the gap back to five. Oweh answered with five straight to tie the game 68-68 with 2: 01 remaining. Auburn hit a three to retake a lead, and Oweh’s two-of-three at the line pulled Kentucky within one.
With under a minute to play Kentucky forced a steal and found Oweh for a breakaway dunk that gave the Cats a 72-71 lead with 48 seconds left. After a defensive stop Aberdeen sank two free throws with 18 seconds remaining to make it 74-71. Auburn hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to cut the margin to one before the final sequence ended with the game-winner at 1. 2 seconds.
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