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The Cats are moving onto the Sweet 16 after another NCAA Tournament classic with Wichita State.
It looked bleak for Kentucky after the Shockers rallied to make it a 63-62 UK lead in the closing minute. But thanks to a pair of spectacular blocks by Bam Adebayo and Malik Monk, the Cats escaped with a 65-62 win.
Bam was a force down low for the Cats, recording his eighth double-double of the season by scoring 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting and grabbing 10 boards.
Monk didn’t put on a scoring barrage, but he still made critical play after critical play, including a late three and block. He scored 14 points and notched a team-high four assists.
De’Aaron Fox finished with 14 points, two boards and two steals. Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins combined for 16 points, while Willis also chipped in eight boards, three steals and a block.
The real story was Kentucky’s defense, which held Wichita State to only 39 shooting and forcing 11 turnovers. The game featured 11 lead changes as neither team could pull away, though Kentucky held a late seven-point lead before the Shockers’ furious rally fell short.
Here is the game’s final box score:
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Here are the highlights:
NCAA Tourney 2017 Highlights: Kentucky 65 Wichita State 62 https://t.co/bBEQKJu0wB
— KYwildcatsTV (@KYwildcatsTV) March 19, 2017