Wilkins’ Late Three Gives Kentucky a Narrow Win

No. 24 Kentucky escaped with a 78-77 victory over Northern Arizona in Lexington on November 13, when Alex Wilkins sank a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining. The Wildcats had been down 77-73 with 18 seconds to play, but Northern Arizona missed two late free throws, giving Kentucky a chance to take the lead and secure the win.

Kentucky, now 3-1, had led by as many as 13 points in the first half. Northern Arizona rallied after the break, using an 11-0 run during a five-minute Kentucky scoring drought to move ahead 51-49 with 13:35 left. The game featured 13 lead changes and four ties.

The Wildcats were coming off an 89-69 defeat to Kansas on Tuesday. Their defense struggled to contain Northern Arizona, which scored 26 points in the paint and outrebounded Kentucky 32-20. The Lumberjacks also collected 11 second-chance points.

Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno each scored 14 for Kentucky. Ousman N’Diaye added 11 and Justin McBride had 10. Chris Komin led Northern Arizona with 25 points, including five of the team’s season-high 13 three-pointers; Lucas Toukam scored 18.

Northern Arizona, which is 0-4, is scheduled to host Embry Riddle on Tuesday. Kentucky’s next game is at home against Grambling on Monday.