Reed Sheppard has been one of Kentucky’s most consistent players this season. To pull off a comeback Tuesday night at Mississippi State, UK needed everything he could offer.
Sheppard, the freshman phenom and son of a pair of former Kentucky players, responded with one of his most well-rounded efforts. It even came with a side of last-second heroics.
Sheppard hit a running floater with 0.5 ticks left that proved to be the game-winning bucket.
The London native had 32 points, five rebounds and seven assists as No. 15 Kentucky rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to notch a 91-89 victory at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi.
Sheppard’s point total was a team and career high; fellow freshman guard Josh Hubbard had a game-high 34 for Mississippi State.
The Wildcats (20-8, 10-5 SEC) trailed by eight, 43-35, at the break. The Bulldogs (19-9, 8-7) then scored nine of the first 13 points in the second half to extend their lead to 52-39.
But that’s when Kentucky, behind Sheppard and senior guard Antonio Reeves, helped the visitors pick themselves up off the mat. The pair combined for 37 of UK’s 56 points in the final 20 minutes, snapping MSU’s five-game win streak.
Reeves finished with 21 points.
But he ceded center stage to Sheppard, who put the win on ice in the final two minutes, hitting a jumper to extend the lead to three (78-75); on the next possession, he poked away the ball for a steal, then took it coast to coast, where he was fouled on a layup. He converted the free throw to extend the advantage to 81-75. Sheppard sank a pair of free throws with 16.7 seconds remaining to push the lead to 89-86.
Sixteen seconds later, he had the signature moment of his young college career with the go-ahead floater.
Kentucky is back in Lexington for its next game, hosting Arkansas. It will be the second matchup of the season between the Wildcats and Razorbacks. UK won Round 1, 63-57, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Jan. 27.
Saturday’s game is set to begin at 1:30 p.m.
It will air nationally on CBS.
This story will be updated.Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
First appeared on www.courier-journal.com