FINAL: Kentucky falls short vs. Gonzaga, drops 3rd straight game at Rupp for 1st time ever

For the first time in school history, Kentucky men’s basketball has lost three straight games at Rupp Arena.

On Saturday night in Lexington, the No. 17 Wildcats (16-7) fell to the unranked Gonzaga Bulldogs (18-6) by a final score of 89-85. After a rough first half shooting the ball, UK bounced back in the second but struggled in the closing possessions and failed to pull off the much-needed win. Kentucky has now dropped four of its last six games.

Gonzaga shot over 47 percent from the field despite going just 4-18 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs’ Graham Ike led all scorers with 23 points before fouling out late. He was aided by 17 points a piece from Nolan Hickamn (a former UK commit) and Anton Watson.

For Kentucky, a 45.9 percent overall clip on 6-17 shooting from deep wasn’t enough to cut it. Three Wildcats still hit double-digits in scoring, led by 21 from freshman Reed Sheppard. Fifth-year guard Antonio Reeves added 17 points of his own while sophomore Adou Thiero chipped in 15 points and five rebounds.

The last time Kentucky lost three straight home games was back in 1966 when the ‘Cats played at Memorial Coliseum.

After getting rolling early against Vanderbilt on Tuesday, Kentucky fell back into its old ways of a slow start offensively. Gonzaga got off to a quick 11-4 lead before the first media timeout. Thiero would keep Kentucky within reach thanks to a couple of strong finishes at the rim, but Hickman looked like he had something to prove on the other side.

It wasn’t even the defense that was failing Kentucky this time around, either. The ‘Cats just couldn’t get anything to fall on offense. A layup from DJ Wagner — who played for the first time since Jan. 21 — cut the Gonzaga lead down to two, 29-27, with five minutes until the break, but the Bulldogs closed the half on a big run. Gonzaga outscored UK 13-5 to end the opening 20 minutes of action and took a 10-point lead into the locker room.

Although Gonzaga was shooting over 46 percent from the field in the first half, the ‘Zags were held to a 3-14 mark from deep. Unfortunately, Kentucky couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean, making just 32 percent of its total shots while going 3-10 from long range. Three different Gonzaga players were already in double figures at the intermission, including 11 from Hickman. The Bulldogs outrebounded UK by 11 and had 10 more points in the paint.

But John Calipari’s halftime speech must have gotten through to his team. Kentucky came out looking like an entirely different group to start the second half. A Justin Edwards push shot got the ‘Cats within four points not even three minutes in. A few minutes later, a Reeves triple finally put UK in front for the first time all evening, 52-51. Five straight points from Sheppard after that made it a six-point advantage.

Kentucky was able to maintain its lead over the next several possessions, but Gonzaga refused to go away. With roughly nine minutes left in the game, both teams began to trade baskets. At the final media timeout, Gonzaga was clinging to a 77-75 lead.

With under 90 seconds in regulation, Sheppard nailed a pair of freebies to make the score 84-82 in favor of the Bulldogs. On the ensuing possession, Gonzaga would milk some clock before converting on a tough finish inside. But Ugonna Onyenso would get fouled the next time down the floor, hitting both free throws. Kentucky would call a timeout down two with 43 seconds to go.

Edwards would come up clutch on the biggest defensive possession of the game, forcing a jump ball that gave it back to Kentucky with 14 seconds. Timeout ‘Cats, still trailing by two.

Out of the break, Sheppard looked for Thiero on a lob pass to the basket, which was broken up by Gonzaga at the rim. UK was forced to foul, but the Bulldogs would miss the first to keep the game within reach. After hitting the second, Gonzaga fouled Kentucky and put Reeves at the line. He drilled the first to make it a two-point game with 4.1 ticks on the clock.

The last-ditch effort wouldn’t go UK’s way though, resulting in a four-point Gonzaga win and a tough finish to a game that Kentucky desperately needed to win.

Up next: Kentucky will jump right back into SEC play to face the Ole Miss Rebels (18-5; 5-5 SEC) on Tuesday at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.