Vanderbilt’s Jordan Wright tied the game and then hit the game-winning basket with 2.7 seconds remaining as the Commodores upset the Wildcats, 68-66, before a stunned Senior Night crowd at Rupp Arena on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats, looking to secure a double bye in the upcoming SEC tournament, dropped to 20-10, heading into the regular season finale at Arkansas. Vanderbilt won in Lexington for the first time in 15 games.
Oscar Tshiebwe nearly single-handily carries the Wildcats to victory. His basket with 1:09 left capped an 8-0 run and gave the Wildcats a 66-64 lead,
Antonio Reeves finished with 14 points and Jacob Toppin added seven and 10 rebounds, ending a streak of 12 straight games in double figures.
At Lexington
SCORE BY HALVES:
VD (17-13)….34 34 – 68
UK (20-10)….30 36 – 66
Scoring:
Vanderbilt (68) – Colin Smith 0(1) 0-0 3; Liam Robbins 1 0-0 2; Tyrin Lawrence 7(2) 1-2 21; Ezra Manjon 2 2-2 6; Quentin Millora-Brown 2(1) 3-3 10; Paul Lewis 1 0-0 2; Jordan Wright 4(4) 3-4 23; and Myles Stute 0 1-2 1. Totals: 17(8) 10-13 68.
Kentucky (66) – Jacob Toppin 1 5-7 7; Oscar Tshiebwe 5 11-15 21; C.J. Fredrick 1(1) 1-1 6; Cason Wallace 2 2-6 6; Antonio Reeves 3(1) 5-8 14; Chris Livingston 2(1) 1-2 8; Adou Thiero 1 0-0 2; and Daimion Collins 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16(3) 25-35 66.
Next up: Kentucky (20-10) at Arkansas (19-11), 12:30 pm, March 4.