Kentucky overcomes third straight double-digit deficit, beats No. 24 Tennessee 80-78

KNOXVILLE, Tn. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – The Cats are proving to be a second-half team.

Kentucky trailed by 17 points in the first half but delivered another strong second-half performance to rally for an 80-78 win, marking the Wildcats’ third straight victory after overcoming a double-digit deficit.

Kentucky again put itself in position to fight back Saturday afternoon against No. 24 Tennessee.

Denzel Aberdeen led Kentucky with 22 points and three 3-pointers. Collin Chandler added four clutch 3-pointers. Otega Oweh finished with 12 points, snapping his streak of 20-point games in SEC play this season.

The first half featured another slow start for the Wildcats, who fell behind by as many as 17 points while struggling to generate offense. Jasper Johnson sparked Kentucky early, scoring 12 first-half points. Oweh was limited to two points at the free-throw line, and Malachi Moreno was held scoreless in the opening half.

Kentucky trailed 42-31 at halftime. Tennessee entered the game 115-3 under Rick Barnes when leading by 10 or more points at the break.

In the second half, Kentucky steadily chipped away, cutting the deficit to four points with 11:26 remaining at 55-51. In the final minute, Chandler came up with a crucial steal that led to an Oweh basket, giving Kentucky its first lead of the game at 78-77.

Kentucky has now posted three consecutive double-digit comeback wins. After starting SEC play 0-2, the Wildcats are riding a three-game conference winning streak.

Kentucky returns home to Rupp Arena on Jan. 21 to host Texas. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.