| Cats clinch share of SEC title | ||||
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 ATHENS, Ga. -- A 12-0 run to begin the second half broke open a close game and helped Kentucky clinch a share of its 44th SEC championship with an 80-68 victory Wednesday over Georgia. The third-ranked Wildcats led only 40-36 at the break, but John Wall scored six of his game-high 24 points in the opening minutes of the second half to put Georgia on its heels. UK shot 62.5 percent in the half, led by as many as 19 points, and was never threatened the rest of the way. In addition to a share of the league title, Kentucky (28-2, 13-2 SEC) also wrapped up the No. 1 overall seed for the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville. Wall took center stage for the Cats, but he was far from a one-man show. Patrick Patterson added 17 points and 10 rebounds while recording four of UK's season-high 14 blocked shots. Kentucky's bench contributed 24 points, including 11 from Darnell Dodson. He made three of UK's eight 3-pointers. In Saturday's loss at Tennessee, the Cats got only four points from their bench and were 2-for-22 from beyond the arc. "I thought John Wall ran the team unbelievably... and the bench was just terrific," UK coach John Calipari said. Kentucky's strong bench play helped compensate for an off-night by center DeMarcus Cousins, who fell into early foul trouble and finished with only six points and four rebounds. Georgia (13-15, 5-10) was led by forward Jeremy Price with 19 points. Trey Thompkins and Ricky McPhee each added 12 for the Bulldogs. Kentucky returns to action Sunday at noon with a Senior Day matchup against Florida at Rupp Arena.NOTES:
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