Cats Fall to Aggies in OT, 79-77
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Tyler Ulis scored 22 points and Jamal Murray had 21, but No. 14 Kentucky came up just short, falling to Texas A&M 79-77 in overtime on Saturday in College Station, Texas.
Late in reguluation, Kentucky trailed 68-66, but after a timeout, the Cats set up a lob from Ulis to Marcus Lee who slammed it home to tie the game at 68.
After a Kentucky defensive stop, Lee had a chance to put Kentucky ahead with 31 seconds left, but he missed a free throw. A&M got the rebound and had one final chance, but Danuel House missed a jumper, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra stanza, the teams went back and forth, trading baskets. Kentucky took a 76-75 lead with 1:10 to go on a jumper by Ulis.
Kentucky then got a huge stop on defense, but Isaac Humphries was whistled for a technical foul after securing the rebound, giving House a pair of free throws with nine seconds left. House hit both to give the Aggies a 77-76 lead.
Ironically, when Humphries got the technical foul, it was his fifth personal foul, so he could not shoot the free throws he earned for being fouled on the rebound. Instead, Skal Labissiere entered the game and hit one of two to tie the game at 77.
After an Aggie timeout, House missed a driving layup, but Tyler Davis was there for a tip-in that provided the winning margin for A&M.
It was the second straight year that the Wildcats and the Aggies needed overtime at Reed Arena. Last season, Kentucky needed double overtime in order to get a hard-fought 70-64 win.
Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC) dominated on the offensive boards, grabbing 20 offensive rebounds and turning those into 22 second chance points.
Isaiah Briscoe added 11 points for Kentucky (20-7, 10-4), while Humphries had six points and 12 rebounds.
The Wildcats return to action on Tuesday night, facing Alabama at Rupp Arena. That game is set to tip at 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN.
