Lofton, Vols take big win over Wildcats

Lofton, Vols take big win over Wildcats

February 7, 2006

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sports Network) - Chris Lofton poured in 31 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead No. 11 Tennessee to a 75-67 win over Kentucky in SEC action at Rupp Arena.

"To do special things you need have special players and special performances. Obviously you saw one tonight from Chris Lofton," said Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl. "We did a pretty good job of getting him open and guys did a pretty good job of turning shots down to get him shots because he (Lofton) clearly had a pretty good chance of making what he put up."

Lofton buried a career-high seven three-pointers as the Volunteers (17-3, 8-1 SEC), won for the sixth consecutive time and bested Kentucky in its building for the first time since January of 1999.

"It felt good. I got my rhythm early and we had a great night tonight," said Lofton. "I work a lot on moving without the ball and that is something that was working tonight. I was just trying to worry about what I was doing on defense and offense. It is a special win on the road in the SEC. As long as we keep getting wins I am happy. I just kept my cool and got some shots to fall."

Major Wingate added 12 points while C.J. Watson chipped in 10 in the win, as Tennessee used a 9-0 run late in the second half to snap an eight-game skid versus the Wildcats.

Randolph Morris netted 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting for the Wildcats (15-8, 5-4), who lost their second straight game. Ravi Moss donated 14 points while Joe Crawford had 12 points and Rajon Rondo added 11 in the loss.

"Obviously this was another lost opportunity for us to really make up some ground in the league," said Kentucky coach Tubby Smith. "Tennessee made their shots and made plays down the stretch, and we didn't. We couldn't get our shots to drop. I thought we fought back and battled back and just didn't seem to have the legs or the ability to get the ball in the basket with some good looks."

Entering the final frame with a three-point edge, Tennessee continued to hold onto the precarious lead.

Watson's lay-in early in the half enabled the Vols to extend the cushion to seven, 43-36, but Kentucky continued to battle back.

A Morris tip-in with about 14 1/2 minutes remaining brought the Wildcats to within one, 46-45.

Tennessee answered with four straight points over the next minute to keep Kentucky on the defensive. Lofton's triple made it 50-45 Vols.

The Volunteers continued to play front-runner over the next several minutes and held a 60-53 edge with just under eight minutes left.

Crawford's three-point play then ignited a 7-0 spurt that deadlocked the game at 60 with 6:58 showing on the clock. Morris followed Crawford's big play with a tip-in and Moss finished the run with a slam.

Just over a minute later, Kentucky took its first lead since early in the first half when Moss buried a three to make the score 63-62.

The teams then exchanged points. Andre Patterson got loose inside for a dunk and Morris drained a pair from the charity stripe making it 65-64 with Kentucky with 3:31 left.

Tennessee then won the game with a 9-0 burst over the next three minutes.

Wingate grabbed a loose ball underneath and was hammered while going up for a layup. The whistles were silent but the center managed to muscle the bucket in and give the Vols the lead back at 66-65.

Lofton then finished things with seven straight points to give the Vols a 73-65 lead with 21 ticks left.

The two SEC powers played an energized first half. The Vols took control with a 17-3 run in the middle of the frame. Lofton's trey capped the burst and turned an 18-14 Kentucky advantage into a 31-21 Tennessee lead.

The Wildcats rebounded, however, and closed the gap. Tennessee took a slim 39-36 edge into the locker room. Lofton paced the Volunteers with 12 while Morris had eight for Kentucky.

Game Notes

• Kentucky was just 1-of-11 from long range in the second half...Kentucky is 8-4 at Rupp Arena this season while Tennessee is 4-2 on the road.
• This was the 200th meeting between the two schools. Kentucky leads the all-time series 137-63.