National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Auburn 75, Kentucky 70
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 16, 2016
Where: Auburn Arena, Auburn, Alabama
Officials: # Tony Henderson, # Mike Roberts, # Brian Shey
Attendance: 9121

AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn ended an 18-game losing streak to Kentucky on Saturday by shocking the No. 14 Wildcats 75-70 before a sold-out crowd.

The win snapped a three-game Southeastern Conference losing streak for Auburn, which improved to 2-3 in conference play and 8-8 overall. Kentucky fell to 12-4 overall and 3-2 in the SEC.

Auburn mounted a furious comeback after trailing 47-35 with 15:41 to play. The Tigers went on a 21-4 run to take a 56-51 lead. Junior guard Kareem Canty led the surge with eight points.

The Wildcats rallied to take the lead back, but the Tigers outscored Kentucky 10-3 in the final minutes to win.

Canty paced Auburn with 26 points, with 15 coming on 3-pointers. He scored 21 points in the second half.

Graduate transfer Tyler Harris added 21 points for the Tigers, who made 12 of 26 3-pointers but only 9 of 29 on two-point field goals.

Kentucky was led in scoring by freshman guard Jamal Murray with 20 points. Sophomore guard Tyler Ulis added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Junior forward Derek Willis had a career day for the Wildcats, coming off the bench for his first double-double with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

Kentucky shot only 34.7 percent from the field (25 of 72). The Wildcats were 6 of 18 from 3-point range.

Kentucky built a 35-30 halftime advantage, surviving a flurry of activity in the closing minutes.

Kentucky's Isaiah Briscoe committed a foul with 1:23 left in the first half, sending Canty to the line for two free throws. But before he could attempt one, Kentucky forward Skal Labissiere received a technical while jockeying with Auburn's Cinmeon Bowers for rebounding position.

But Auburn didn't take advantage. Horace Spencer made both technicals to tie the score at 30, but Canty missed both free throws and Bowers missed a layup on the next possession.

Kentucky went up 32-30 on a dunk by Labissiere and grabbed the 35-30 halftime advantage on a 3-pointer by Willis.

The closing basket was fitting as Kentucky got a huge life from Willis. The 6-foot-9 forward came off the bench for eight rebounds, seven points, one block and one steal in the first half. Murray had 10 points as the Wildcats shot just 37.8 percent from the floor.

Harris topped Auburn with seven points as the Tigers struggled at 28.1 percent shooting from the field. The Tigers stayed close on the strength of six first-half 3-pointers.

NOTES: Kentucky has a 91-68 all-time record against Auburn, including an 8-1 mark by coach John Calipari. ... Kentucky is balanced this season, ranking seventh in the SEC in scoring (77.8 points per game) and scoring defense (67.3). ... Rebounding is the key for Kentucky, which has a plus-10.3 advantage in wins and a minus-5.7 margin in losses. ... Auburn held one offensive statistical advantage over Kentucky, shooting 34.7 percent from 3-point range compared with Kentucky's 32.5.
Top Game Performances
 
Kentucky   Auburn
Jamal Murray 20 Scoring Kareem Canty 26
Tyler Ulis 8 Assists Kareem Canty 4
Derek Willis 12 Rebounds Tyler Harris 11
Tyler Ulis 7 Free Throws Made Kareem Canty 7
Jamal Murray 3 Steals Cinmeon Bowers 2
Alex Poythress 3 Blocks Horace Spencer 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Kentucky 70 34.7 6-18 14-18 15 42 7 7 11
Auburn 75 38.2 12-26 21-30 9 31 7 2 13