Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Kentucky Wildcats Match Player Stats On Jan 25, 2022

Kellan Grady scored eight of his 18 points in overtime and No. 12 Kentucky hung on for an 82-74 victory over Mississippi State on Tuesday night in Lexington, Ky.

Grady connected on a layup and a pair of 3-pointers in a span of 1:55 to push the Wildcats (16-4, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) to an 80-74 lead with 1:12 remaining in the extra session.

Iverson Molinar, who notched a career-high 30 points for the Bulldogs (13-6, 4-3), sank two free throws with 22.2 seconds left in regulation for a 72-72 tie. The Bulldogs shot 62.1 percent (18 of 29) from the floor in the second half to rally from a 16-point deficit.

The nation's leading rebounder, Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe, totaled 21 points and 22 rebounds. He pushed the Wildcats to a 13-point halftime lead over the Bulldogs, who fell to 0-3 on the road.

However, with Tshiebwe and Jacob Toppin on the bench briefly due to ankle injuries, Shakeel Moore nailed a 3-pointer with 6:30 left as part of a Mississippi State surge. The Bulldogs, who trailed 45-29 with 16:50 remaining, tied it 62-all with 4:16 to play.

Sahvir Wheeler wound up with 15 points and six assists and Keion Brooks Jr. recorded 12 points and six rebounds for Kentucky, which won the rebounding battle 44-33.

The Wildcats, who are 13-0 at home, were victorious for the 16th time in the past 17 meetings with Mississippi State.

Kentucky played without standout TyTy Washington Jr., who rolled his left ankle Saturday at Auburn.

Aside from Molinar, Garrison Brooks was Mississippi State's only other scorer in double figures, contributing 11 points and five boards.

The Bulldogs played without top rebounder Tolu Smith after he partially dislocated his knee Saturday.

Unable to generate much offense in the first half, Mississippi State made only four of its first 20 shots and trailed 30-16 after Toppin's trey from the left wing.

Bryce Hopkins' block of Molinar's layup went the other way, and Hopkins finished with an emphatic dunk with four seconds left in the half for a 37-24 lead.

--Field Level Media