Otega Oweh scored 21 points to help Kentucky rally for a 74-71 victory over No. 25 Tennessee in Southeastern Conference play Saturday in Lexington, Ky.
Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points and Malachi Moreno scored 10 for the Wildcats (17-7, 8-3 SEC), who trailed by 14 before winning their eighth game in nine tries. Saturday marked Kentucky’s second comeback win over the Volunteers, after rallying from 17 down on Jan. 17.
Nate Ament’s 29 points led Tennessee (16-7, 6-4), while Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 15 and J.P. Estrella scored 11. Bishop Boswell scored 10 and DeWayne Brown II pulled down 12 rebounds for the Volunteers, who saw their four-game winning streak snapped.
After trailing by 14 at halftime, Kentucky cut the deficit to eight on Aberdeen’s triple with 15:16 left.
A pair of Boswell free throws pushed the visitors’ lead to 10 before Kentucky went on an 8-0 run, holding Tennessee scoreless for 5:37.
From there, Oweh’s back-to-back layups gave Kentucky a 61-60 lead with 6:18 remaining — the Wildcats’ first lead since the 17:21 mark of the first half.
The Volunteers answered with five straight points, going ahead by four on Ament’s three-point play.
Moreno’s hook shot trimmed Kentucky’s deficit to 67-66 with 2:13 left before Aberdeen’s free throws pushed the Wildcats ahead by one.
With just under a minute left, Ament glided to the basket for the go-ahead layup. After a Kentucky timeout, Collin Chandler drilled a 3-pointer with 32.4 seconds remaining, giving the hosts a 71-69 lead.
Ament then missed a turnaround jumper and Moreno split a pair of foul shots. Tennessee took a timeout with 8.6 seconds left. Kentucky fouled J.P. Estrella, who made both free throws.
Chandler missed the front end at the line, but Mouhamed Dioubate grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Aberdeen, who made two foul shots with 3.7 seconds left.
Gillespie’s ensuing halfcourt shot rimmed out as time expired.
Neither team took a lead larger than four until Ament’s personal 8-0 run gave Tennessee a 22-14 edge.
Ament’s fourth 3-pointer of the first half gave the Volunteers a 35-25 lead with 4:48 left.
After Chandler’s triple and Trent Noah’s free throws pulled the Wildcats within six, Ament scored five of Tennessee’s 7-0 spurt, giving the Volunteers a 43-30 lead.
