LSU took down No. 17 Kentucky 75-74 on Wednesday, courtesy of a wild final sequence that concluded with Tyrell Ward sinking a put-back bucket as time expired. Ward’s make lifted the Tigers to victory and redeemed a poorly executed final possession for LSU after UK’s Rob Dillingham put the Wildcats ahead on a jumper with 13 seconds remaining.
Instead of calling a timeout, LSU coach Matt McMahon opted to let the final play happen organically. Jordan Wright barreled toward the basket looking for a go-ahead basket but was met by UK’s Adou Thiero, who blocked it back into Wright’s hands. While falling out of bounds, Wright lobbed the ball back into the paint, where Ward was waiting to cap a great night.
Ward’s 17 points marked a career-high. Wright and Jalen Reed added 13 apiece for the Tigers, who rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half. Kentucky led 42-27 after an Antonio Reeves 3-pointer at the 19:11 mark. But LSU (14-12, 6-7 SEC) quickly found a rhythm and amassed 48 points in the second half against a UK defense that had been making strides over its last two games.
Reeves led UK (18-8, 8-5) with 25 points, but Dillingham was the star of the second half as he scored 21 of his 23 after the break. His contested jumper after Kentucky called timeout with 20 seconds remaining put the Wildcats ahead by a point and was on track to go down as the game’s top highlight.
Instead LSU’s frantic last possession ensued, as did a victory that prompted a court-storming inside the Maravich Assembly Center.
The win marked two in a row against ranked foes for the Tigers, who also beat then No. 11 South Carolina on the road Saturday.
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