No. 16 Kentucky ends Mississippi State’s five-game winning streak

Starkville, Miss. (WCBI)-No. 16 Kentucky topped Mississippi State 91-89 and ended the Bulldogs’ five-game winning streak, which was the longest in the SEC heading into the matchup. Despite trailing the Wildcats by eight with 57 seconds left, Josh Hubbard hit three three-pointers in the final minute to tie the game. Reed Sheppard’s floater with .05 seconds remaining won it for Kentucky.

The Bulldogs showed off their physicality in the first half as they outrebounded the Wildcats 20-13 and led Kentucky 43-35 at the break. Tolu Smith’s 11 points and six rebounds headlined the first, but the second half was a different story.

Kentucky’s explosive offense, which is a huge reason they’ve been successful this year, came alive in the final 20 minutes. The Wildcats outscored MSU 56-46 in the second half and Sheppard did not look like a freshman as he finished with 32 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Josh Hubbard’s scoring (34 points) and shot creation kept MSU in it in the final few minutes. The freshman/Howell Trophy finalist proved that his 32-point performance in Saturday’s 87-67 win over LSU in Baton Rouge was no fluke.

With the loss, Mississippi State falls to 19-9 on the year and 8-7 in SEC play. The road doesn’t get much easier for the Bulldogs as they visit No. 11 Auburn in their next contest. That game tips off Saturday at 3 o’clock on ESPN2.