Calipari leans on ‘veterans’ in UK’s come-from-behind win at Georgia
Sophomores Ashton Hagans and Immanuel Quickley played the entire second half. So did Tyrese Maxey, the only freshman who made more than a cameo appearance after halftime.
Nick Richards logged three seconds shy of 17 minutes in the second half. Nate Sestina played 16 minutes and 11 seconds.
UK Coach John Calipari explained his decision to go with experience in the second half at Georgia on Tuesday night with a rhetorical question: “You know why?” he said before answering his own question. “Because, trying to win.”
Kentucky’s 78-69 come-from-behind victory over Georgia was a testament to veteran know-how.
“With veterans, you’re not going to get a lot of breakdowns,” Quickley said. “We know what’s going on. We know what to expect. We pay a lot of attention to the scouting report.”
UK, which had lost its previous three games this season when trailing at halftime, made more plays down the stretch in its first “true” road game.
The veterans handled a charged atmosphere included a sellout crowd no doubt still juiced by Georgia’s victory at No. 9 Memphis on Saturday. That was only the second time in Georgia’s 115-year basketball history that the Bulldogs won on the road against a ranked non-conference opponent.
Kentucky (11-3) executed better than Georgia down the stretch. Georgia (10-4) scored only two baskets in the game’s final six minutes.
Calipari saluted Hagans, whose 36-plus minutes of playing time proved positive a full recovery from the left ankle sprain he sustained late in Saturday’s victory over Missouri. While making only four of 12 shots, he contributed 15 points, five assists, four steals and a block.
“He is so confident and comfortable,” Calipari said of Hagans.
To prove the point, the UK coach added that he and Hagans shared laughs in the halftime locker room.
“That’s how comfortable he is,” Calipari said. “He knows this is his team to run. He knows I’m giving him space because he’s making great decisions.
“And I’ll tell you another reason why I’m giving him space. Because he’s a tough hombre.”
Kentucky trailed 37-31 at halftime. That marked the largest halftime deficit of the season for UK. And the Cats could have been grateful not to be further behind.
Foul trouble limited Richards to less than eight minutes and Sestina to less than four when he picked up two fouls in 51 seconds.
Hagans, a native of Cartersville, Ga., looked hyped. He took UK’s first two shots, and four of the first six.
“He was getting those things up,” said a smiling Quickley, who attributed Hagans’ gunning to coming home. “If I’m playing against Maryland, I’d do the same thing. I’d probably shoot it every time I touched it, too.”
To Calipari’s eye, it might have looked like Hagans was shooting that often. He took 10 shots in the first half. He came into the game averaging 8.4 shots per game.
“And they were mostly jump shots,” Calipari said. “What are you doing?! I said, ‘Are you going to try to get 25 shots coming home?’”
Although Hagans made only three of those 10 first-half shots, the third seemed big. With 12 seconds left, Georgia led 37-28 (the largest lead either team enjoyed in the first half). Then Hagans rushed down and hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to set the halftime score.
Calipari said the shot was big “because if he doesn’t make that, all of a sudden there is a different game. And they get the ball to start the second half. All of a sudden, it gets to 12, 13, 14. We may not win this game.”
Hagans’ three gave UK a smaller mountain to climb.
As omens go, the halftime deficit seemed ominous. UK game into the game with a 10-0 record when leading going into the second half and 0-3 when trailing.
Calipari shuffled the lineup to start the second half. Sestina and Quickley started for EJ Montgomery and Keion Brooks, who combined to play not quite six minutes in the second half.
A corner three-pointer by Quickley with 8:04 to go put Kentucky ahead 58-57. That marked UK’s first lead since 8:02 remained in the first half.
Georgia called time, which Quickley saw as significant. “Anytime you get the coach to call time, it’s really big,” he said.
The Bulldogs went inside, but missed two shots in the lane.
Maxey drove in transition and scored while being fouled.
Kentucky’s lead reached its zenith on a pretty fast-break pass from Montgomery to Richards that netted a layup and free throw to put the Cats ahead 63-57.
Back-to-back Georgia baskets reduced the lead to two and set up a possession-by-possession struggle to the finish.
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 3:44 AM.
