January 5, 1999
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – For someone who plays like a hero, Scott Padgettsounds like a goat.
“I don’t think I came to the rescue,” he said after his 19 points helpedNo. 6 Kentucky build a big lead, then hold on against South Carolina’ssecond-half charge for a 68-61 victory Tuesday.
“I think at this point, as a senior, you’re supposed to make plays,”Padgett said. “The guys got the ball in position to score, but I also missedsome shots down the end that would have kept the game farther apart.”
Padgett had 12 points in the first half as the Wildcats (13-3, 2-0Southeastern Conference) turned the period into a layup drill and led 39-20.
After the Gamecocks (5-8, 0-2) cut it to 47-40 with 14:21 left, Padgett hita 3-pointer to start a personal run as Kentucky brought the lead back to 15points.
Afterward, Kentucky’s players and coaches didn’t speak of accomplishment.Coach Tubby Smith called it one of the more disappointing swings he’d beenaround in a long time.
“We didn’t play as good as we should have,” said center Jamaal Magloire,who had 12 points and 11 rebounds. “We should have played with a lot moreintensity in the second half.”
Instead, it was South Carolina which burned with passion and fire. BJ McKiescored 23 of his season-high 31 points in the second half. He finished with anearly perfect shooting night: 7-of-9 overall, 5-of-6 on 3-pointers and12-of-14 free throws.
The Gamecocks, who won the SEC title two years ago, have lost six of thelast seven games.
“If we could show the consistency we showed in the second half and put twohalves together, this team can still turn things around,” McKie said.
The Gamecocks got within eight points twice and to 68-61 in the finalminute. But Kentucky’s taller, stronger front line, which outscored theGamecocks 38-10 inside, had the answer each time as the Wildcats won theirfourth straight against South Carolina.
“That’s way too many points in the paint for us to come back on a team likeKentucky,” South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler said.
Some wondered about Kentucky after consecutive losses to Duke and Louisvilleover Christmas. But the Wildcats answered any critics with two dominatingperformances to start the SEC.
They shot 56 percent in beating Florida 93-58 on Saturday and came out justas hot against the Gamecocks.
The first half was little more than a layup drill with the Wildcats scoringthe game’s first 12 points.
While South Carolina worked for its points, Kentucky would rush up, flip theball to one of its three front-court starters 6-foot-9 or taller and drop in abasket.
Padgett had three inside buckets, Magloire four and Michael Bradley two asKentucky took a big lead.
Bradley finished with 14 points and Wayne Turner had 11.
For the Gamecocks, it was another half of misery in a season in which almostnothing has gone right. They had more turnovers than field goals (7 to 6), shot23.1 percent (6-of-26) and watched McKie take only one shot.
Things turned after the half as guard Aaron Lucas opened with two3-pointers. That sparked a 20-8 run that got the Gamecocks back in it.
For a national champion like Kentucky, that’s nowhere near acceptable.
“Sometimes when you’re prosperous, you start to think, I’m the one doingit. I want to be a part of it,”‘ Smith said. “You get a little selfish.”
