LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Randolph Morris had 20 points and Jodie Meeks matched a career high with 18 as Kentucky snapped a three-game losing streak with a 70-63 victory over Louisiana State Tuesday night.
The Wildcats (19-8, 8-5 Southeastern Conference) came back from a 16-point deficit to avert their first four-game losing streak since the 1990 season when they lost five in a row.
LSU (14-13, 3-10) dropped its 11th straight at Rupp Arena and almost certainly must win the SEC tournament to advance to the NCAA tourney a year after making the Final Four.
However, the last-place team in the SEC West certainly gave the Wildcats a scare, even without its leading scorer. Glen Davis didn’t make the trip to Lexington because of a muscle strain in his right leg that he sustained last week against Arkansas.
Terry Martin’s jumper tied the game at 58 with five minutes left, but Ramel Bradley followed with an underhanded layup to put Kentucky in front for good and start a 10-0 Kentucky run. Bradley finished with 16 points.
Morris got his ninth double-double of the year, adding 10 rebounds. His point total also made him the 53rd player to score at least 1,000 points in his Kentucky career.
Meeks was 3-of-5 from 3-point range, all momentum changers in a game that started off dangerously for Kentucky.
The Wildcats scored from the field only once in the opening eight minutes, missing 11 of their first 12 shots before Morris banked in a second-chance layup.
LSU wasn’t much better but used a 10-0 run to build an early 13-4 lead. The Tigers would stretch the lead to 16 points with just over seven minutes left, but the Wildcats chipped away – and got a big boost from a technical foul on LSU coach John Brady.
Brady’s technical, assessed for arguing a five-second call, resulted in five quick points for Meeks, who made both free throws and hit a 3-pointer on Kentucky’s extra possession. Morris hit one of two free throws with 10 seconds to go in the half to cut LSU’s lead to 31-30 at the break.
Bobby Perry opened the second half with a 3 to give Kentucky its first lead.
Tasmin Mitchell filled in admirably in Davis’ absence, leading the Tigers with 19 points. Martin added 16, but LSU couldn’t generate much additional offense.
