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Wilkins' buzzer floater forces OT, then Cats roll 19-5 to beat UCF 90-76
Highlights
No. 23 Kentucky closed preseason 3-0 the hard way Wednesday night at Rupp Arena, needing a last-second tying basket and a 19-5 overtime period to beat UCF 90-76 in an exhibition final.
Alex Wilkins forced overtime. With time expiring and Kentucky trailing after a second-half collapse, Wilkins hit a runner that tied the game at 71-71 and sent it to OT, matching the sequence in the official UK Athletics recap. Kentucky then outscored Central Florida 19-5 in the extra period and finished 90-76.
The Wildcats had led most of the night — 39-35 at halftime after a first-half lead as large as 13 — and still owned a 57-47 cushion in the second half. UCF answered with an 11-2 run to take a 65-63 lead with 3:15 left, flipping the game. Late free throws decided regulation's last swing: Braydon Hawthorne missed both free throws with nine seconds left and UCF up one; after a strip and an UCF free throw, Kentucky got the ball back needing a tie or a win. Wilkins delivered the tying runner. Kentucky finished 13-of-21 at the free-throw line overall (eight misses) in the official box.
Overtime belonged to Milan Momcilovic. He scored the first five points of the extra period and finished with a team-high 19 points. Mason Williams had 18 off the bench. Malachi Moreno posted 16 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. Alex Wilkins finished with 12. Kentucky's bench outscored UCF's 31-14.
Dior Johnson led UCF with 22 points (9-of-9 at the line). Isaiah Malone added 14, Riley Kugel 12, and Arturo Dean 10.
Scoring summary (1st / 2nd / OT — official UK Athletics box):
Kentucky 39 / 32 / 19 — 90
UCF 35 / 36 / 5 — 76
Attendance: 18,958 at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky opens the regular season Tuesday, Nov. 3, hosting Manhattan at Rupp Arena (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).
Sources: UK Athletics official box score (PDF); UK Athletics recap — No. 23 Kentucky Gets Past UCF in Overtime; UK Athletics schedule (Little Rock W 69-49, Texas Tech W 76-65, UCF W 90-76 OT — preseason 3-0).