Kentucky withstands Terrapins’ comeback, wins 61-58
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Tayshaun Prince of Kentucky dunks for two points in the first half of their NIT pre-season semifinals game against Maryland |
By HAL BOCK
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – The last time Kentucky andArizona played for a championship it was in theNCAA tournament in 1997. Now they get to do itagain Friday night in the Preseason NIT.
After No. 8 Arizona got 22 points and 11 reboundsfrom Michael Wright and wore down Notre Dame76-60 in the opener of Wednesday night’s semifinaldoubleheader, No. 11 Kentucky held off a furioussecond-half comeback by No. 24 Maryland andhung on for a 61-58 victory to set up anAll-Wildcats championship game.
Arizona beat Kentucky 84-79 for the 1997 NCAAchampionship. But those were different teams thanthe young ones who face off for the Preseason NITcrown on Friday night.
“You could call it survival,” Kentucky coach TubbySmith said after his team’s 16-point first-half leaddwindled away under Maryland’s pressure in thesecond half. “We made the free throws when weneeded them. It was a good psychological boostthat we held them off.”
This one looked like it would be easier than itturned out for Kentucky (3-0).
The Wildcats jumped in front in a hurry againstMaryland (3-1) with Saul Smith and TayshaunPrince nailing 3-pointers in the first 3 1/2 minutes.Price finished with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Keith Bogans came off the bench for 12 of his 17points in the first half and Kentucky took advantageof eight steals and 13 Maryland turnovers in the first 20 minutes to open a40-27 halftime lead.
“The first half, we were out of synch,” Maryland coach Gary Williams said. “Idon’t know if it’s playing in Madison Square Garden. We have no realexperience.”
Maryland scored the first seven points of the second half but Kentuckyresponded with a 7-0 run of its own, with Prince scoring five of the points.
Still the Terps kept battling and wiped out the deficit to tie the game at 52-52with 6 1/2 minutes left on a Terence Morris basket. Morris led Marylandwith 25 points.
Baskets by Marvin Stone, who had 13 rebounds, and Bogans, off a steal,restored a four-point lead for the Wildcats.
Kentucky was still up by three with 32.6 seconds to play when DesmondAllison got tangled up with a couple of Maryland players and turned the ballover. But Juan Dixon’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim in the finalseconds and Kentucky hung on for the victory.
“The second half, we held Kentucky down and that gave us a chance,”Williams said. “But we really lost it in the first half.”
Williams saw a bright side to the setback.
“The loss was worth it if it tells us how we must play for a full 40 minutes.”
Arizona coach Lute Olson said Kentucky can bring problems with it.
“That’s what we need,” he said. “Problems so we can solve them and getbetter as the year goes on.”
