January 12, 1999
By TIM WHITMIRE
AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – A pair of 3-pointers by Brandon Wharton, the last with1:08 remaining, lifted Tennessee to a 47-46 win over No. 6 Kentucky on Tuesdaynight, the Volunteers’ first win at Rupp Arena in 20 years.
As the horn sounded, with Kentucky’s Michael Bradley struggling to get ashot off from under the basket, Volunteer players rushed the floor, celebratingtheir first win over the Wildcats since 1993 and first at Kentucky in ageneration.
The win kept up a remarkable run of recent success by Tennessee teams. TheVols won the national championship in football with a victory over FloridaState in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4, and the Tennessee women’s basketball teamwon at No. 1 Connecticut during the weekend.
The Volunteers (11-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) led 33-26 with 15:10remaining, but had to fend off a comeback by Kentucky (14-4, 3-1) that producedfour lead changes and a pair of ties down the stretch.
Kentucky was held to its lowest point total at home since Jan. 18, 1987,when it lost 76-41 to LSU.
Brandon hit one 20-footer with 3:30 left to give the Vols a 44-41 lead, thennailed another from beyond the top of the key to give Tennessee the winningedge.
In between Wharton’s shots, Kentucky took the lead with a 16-foot baselinebank shot by Jamaal Magloire and a 3 by Scott Padgett which made it 46-44Kentucky with 1:48 left.
Tennessee was the first team to outrebound Kentucky this season – by a 45-36margin – and though each team shot 30 percent from the field, the Volunteerswere 8-of-24 from beyond the 3-point arc, compared to 2-of-17 for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats’ poor long-distance performance came three nights after aseason-best 14-of-23 3-point shooting performance at Vanderbilt.
Wharton led all scorers with 14 points. Freshman Vincent Yarbrough, who wasrecruited by Kentucky, led the Volunteers with 12 rebounds in his Rupp Arenadebut.
Wayne Turner had 13 points for Kentucky and Michael Bradley pulled downeight rebounds.
Both teams went through long scoring droughts in a game marked by poorshooting and physical play at both ends.
Kentucky jumped out to an early 10-5 lead with 15:18 remaining, then wentnearly six more minutes before scoring again, by which time the Volunteers hadtaken the lead. It was 25-21 Tennessee at the half.
Tennessee then squandered its seven-point lead by allowing a 9-2 Kentuckyrun over nearly nine minutes. The Wildcats had pulled even at 35-35 when AaronGreen nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 6:20 remaining to givethe Volunteers the lead back.
Padgett’s seven points gave him 1,005 for his Kentucky career, making himthe 45th Wildcat to reach that milestone.
