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Daniels Beats Buzzer and the Cats Beat the BulldogsAfter his team squandered a 14 point second-half lead, Erik Daniels hit a lay-up as time expired to give Kentucky a 67-66 victory over 20th ranked and previously unbeaten Mississippi State. Kentucky's opponents should just spot them a 12-2 lead. It seems as though they have held that lead in every game this season. Yet the other team usually comes back, forcing Kentucky to scratch and claw their way to victory. The game Tuesday Night in Starkville was no different. After the Wildcats got their usual 12-2 lead, the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run, to pull within three at 12-9. Kentucky pulled away again, leading 35-17 with 3:30 left in the first half. But Mississippi State closed the half with an 11-2 run, down only nine going into the locker-room. While it seemed the home team had gained the momentum, Kentucky stormed out of the locker-room, seemingly poised to rip their opponents' hearts out. With 10 minutes remaining, the Cats looked firmly in control, leading 54-40. But the Bulldogs' Timmy Bowers responded with three triples, making the score 56-51 at the 7:00 mark. A minute later, after a dunk by Kelenna Azubuike and a three-pointer by Cliff Hawkins, the Cats were up by nine, 61-52. The two teams traded buckets, and it was 63-54 with 5 minutes left. The next few minutes was all Mississippi State, as they killed the Cats on the boards. Another three-pointer by Bowers made it 63-57 with 4:12 left. At 3:10, Lawrence Roberts scored on a put back, and the lead was down to four. With 2:31 left, Winsome Frazier followed a missed shot, and they were within 2. Frazier then got a steal on the other end, and was fouled on his way down the court. He hit the first free throw and missed the second, but Roberst scored on another put-back to give the Bulldogs their first lead, 64-63, with 1:56 to go. The Cats retook the lead when Azubuike gathered in a loose ball and connected on a long 2-pointer. But with a minute to go, Mississippi State got their fourth-straight put-back, going back on top, 66-65. The stage was now set for the big finish. Kentucky failed to get a shot off on their ensuing possession, as Frazier stole the ball once again and got fouled. He missed the front-end of another one-and-one, but UK was Gerald Fitch was unable to control the rebound. With 22 seconds remaining, Bowers missed the front-end, and this time Kentucky corralled the rebound. Fitch tried to create something, but dribbled the ball off his foot. Hawkins and Bowers dove after it, resulting in a jump ball, with the arrow favoring the Cats, but only 2.5 seconds remained. Hawkins looked to get the ball to Fitch, but he couldn't get open, so Hawkins tried a lob-pass to Chuck Hayes. Roberts knocked the ball away, but right into the waiting hands of Erik Daniels, who quickly put the ball off the glass and in as time ran out.
Gerald Fitch paced the Wildcats with 23 points on 8 of 13 shooting and 5-9 from behind the arc. Erik Daniels continued his excellent play, adding 16 points on 7-10 shooting. Bernard Cote solidified his place as the Cats' sixth man, scoring five points in 18 solid minutes.
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