Sestina shines for Kentucky, but it’s not enough against Ohio State
In a season to expect the unexpected, Kentucky and Ohio State delivered Saturday in a way to make any gambler here envious.
Kentucky looked nothing like the team that lost on Wednesday to Utah, a team ranked No. 58 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool standings.
The Cats surely showed enough fight to satisfy Coach John Calipari.
But Ohio State showed why it’s ranked No. 5 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll and stood at No. 3 in the NET and No. 2 in Ken Pomeroy’s national ratings.
The Buckeyes led for more than 33 minutes, but never comfortably, in defeating Kentucky 71-65.
UK did not shoot the three well (some things seem stubborn to change), but graduate transfer Nate Sestina provided the biggest individual player surprise. Three days after going scoreless against Utah in his first game back from a broken left wrist, he erupted. He scored a season-high 17 points and equaled the career-high five three-pointers he made for Bucknell in a game last season.
Though surely a good sign for the future, it did not prevent a defeat this night. Ohio State made repeated big plays at both ends of the floor. None seemed bigger than the three-pointer CJ Walker made as the shot clock buzzed with 26.6 seconds left. That increased OSU’s lead to 67-59.
After the loss to Utah, Calipari said, “We’re a long way away from where we need to be.”
Kentucky, now 8-3, surely progressed down that path against the Buckeyes, who Calipari had called “one of the best teams in the country.” Tyrese Maxey scored 15 points while Ashton Hagans contributed 14 points and nine assists.
Guard D.J. Carton led Ohio State with 13 points. Kaleb Wesson added 12 points and eight rebounds.
After the loss to Utah, Calipari spoke of his players being insufficiently aggressive. “If you’re not a dog, what are you here?” he said. “These guys are learning it.”
Judging by the foul calls, Kentucky showed a willingness to fight. But the execution — at least in the judgment of the referees — was open to question.
Kentucky committed 13 fouls in the first half. That nearly matched UK’s average of 15.4 per game, which ranked as the 13th fewest in the country.
Yet, in this game the referees whistled UK for six fouls before the first television timeout. Ohio State shot the one-and-one for the first time at the 12:28 mark and was eligible for the double bonus in the final 7:40.
As a result, Ohio State outscored Kentucky 12-4 in free-throw points. Going into the game, UK had nearly doubled the opposition’s total of made free throws (182-89).
Sestina came to the rescue. Not looking anything like the player who in his own admission had to “shake off rust” against Utah here three nights earlier, he hit three three-pointers in the first half. That matched his total of the season (he had been three of 13) and gave UK a credible shooting threat from the perimeter. His teammates missed all seven of their three-point shots.
A Sestina’ three-pointer brought UK to within 37-36 at halftime.
Hagans matched Sestina’s 11 first-half points. He also handed out three assists.
Kentucky got off to a rocky start in the second half. The Cats committed two turnovers and shot an air-ball three-pointer in its first possession. When Ohio State took a 40-36 lead, Calipari called time with 18:01 left.
UK missed its next four shots and added another turnover when Maxey charged, his second charge of the half and his third foul.
Sestina — who else this night? — steadied UK. His fourth three-pointer with 16:32 left was Kentucky’s first basket and narrowed the deficit to 40-39.
Ohio State refused to yield. Even Sestina’s fifth three, which equaled his previous career high (five against Boston University for Bucknell on Jan. 5, 2019) did not seem to faze the Buckeyes.
Back-to-back scoring possessions increased Ohio State’s lead to 49-44. And when Maxey appeared headed for a transition layup, Andre Wesson’s high-rising block from behind drew oohs from the crowd.
Kentucky also refused to yield. That set up the possession-by-possession battle of wills down the stretch.
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 8:08 PM.
