Kentucky Falls at No. 10 Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. – Kevin Knox scored 19 points and grabbed five rebounds, but Kentucky lost to No. 10 Auburn 76-66 on Wednesday night at Auburn Arena.

Kentucky (17-9, 6-7 SEC) got 13 points and five rebounds from PJ Washington, while Shai Gilegous-Alexander had nine points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Wildcats hit 25 of their 54 attempts (46.3 percent) from the field, while holding Auburn to 22 of 60 (36.7 percent) shooting. Kentucky hit just three of 14 (21.4 percent) from behind the arc, while Auburn made eight of their 27 attempts (29.6 percent).

Auburn (23-3, 11-3) took advantage of its chances at the free throw line, hitting a sizzling 24 of 28 (85.7 percent) from the line. Kentucky was able to hit 13 of 20 (65 percent) from charity stripe.

Kentucky got out of the gates quickly, taking an early 10-4 lead. However, Auburn scored the next seven points to take an 11-10 lead with 11:09 to go in the half. Kentucky took the lead back, 12-11, on a dunk by Nick Richards, but Auburn scored the next five points to establish a lead that the Tigers would hold for the remainder of the half. Auburn would lead by as many as eight points before settling for a 39-33 halftime edge.

Auburn would maintain a similar advantage through the first five minutes of the second half, but Kentucky would not give in. The Wildcats used a 7-0 run to take a 49-48 lead with 13:10 to go in the game. In fact, UK would lead by as many as four points on three occasions in the second halfa, the last coming with 7:06 left when the Cats held a 59-55 advantage.

From there, Auburn would assemble a decisive 13-2 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 68-61 lead with 3:57 remaining. Kentucky would get within four, 68-64, with 3:14 to go, but Auburn finished the game on an 8-2 run.

Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, when the Wildcats host Alabama at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. and the game can be seen on CBS.