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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – Jason Parker came into Kentucky's game
against Auburn with a tightly wound knot in his stomach.
Coming off the worst game of his young career – a one-point,
four-rebound performance at Arkansas – the 6-foot-8, 255-pound
freshman wanted badly to punish someone for his subpar performance.
|  | | Kentucky's Marquis Estill lofts a hook shot over Auburn's Kyle Davis in the Wildcats' SEC win. |
The Tigers bore the brunt of Parker's foul mood as he scored a
career-high 19 points on a variety of nifty moves and thundering
dunks to lead the 15th-ranked Wildcats (19-8, 12-3 Southeastern
Conference) to a 90-78 victory Wednesday night.
Parker owned the paint, shooting 9-for-12 from the field and
grabbing six rebounds as Kentucky clinched a share of its 41st SEC
championship and the top seed in next week's conference tournament.
"I wanted to come out and dominate, and I did," Parker said.
"Coming off the Arkansas game, I was already mad."
Tayshaun Prince added 12 points, freshmen Gerald Fitch and Erik
Daniels had 11 each and Keith Bogans added 10 as the Wildcats won
for the ninth time in their last 10 games.
Kentucky entered the game holding a one-game lead over No. 6
Florida and Mississippi (No. 12 ESPN/USA Today, No. 14 AP) in the race for the SEC
regular-season title.
The Wildcats can claim the championship outright with a victory
at Florida on Sunday following Mississippi's 78-77 overtime loss to
LSU on Wednesday night. The Gators beat Vanderbilt 72-62 Wednesday
night.
"It's certainly a good feeling that we at least tied for the
SEC championship," said Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, whose team has
won 16 of 19 since opening the season 3-5.
"At the beginning of the year, that seemed like an unattainable
goal. I'm proud of this team. I think we've shown a lot of heart
throughout the season to recover from a tough start."
Adam Harrington scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half to
lead Auburn (16-12, 6-9), which has lost three of its last four
games.
Jamison Brewer and Marquis Daniels each added double-doubles for
the Tigers. Brewer, the team's 6-4 point guard, had 12 points and
17 rebounds, while Daniels had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Kentucky shot 51 percent to Auburn's 38 percent, and its bench
outscored the Tigers' reserves 36-10. Big men Marvin Stone and
Marquis Estill added further inside punch, combining for another 13
points – on 5-of-8 shooting – and six rebounds.
"The inside presence of Parker and company was the major
difference in the game," Auburn coach Cliff Ellis said. "Parker
and their post players had their way with us, and we had no
answer."
Down by three early, Estill scored six points during a 10-2 run
to put Kentucky on top 21-16 midway through the first half. Tied at
21, Parker and Cliff Hawkins each scored four points in a 13-1 run
to put the Wildcats up 34-22 with 4:20 to play.
Auburn pulled to 40-31 in the final minute, but Fitch's
3-pointer in the closing seconds gave Kentucky a 43-31 halftime
lead.
"We missed a lot of shots in the first half and gave them the
lead," Ellis said. "We had good looks, probably as many as we've
had in any game this year, but the shots wouldn't go in and that
opened up some transition buckets for them."
Kentucky put the game away quickly. Consecutive inside baskets
by Parker, who scored eight of Kentucky's first 12 points, and a
dunk by Prince gave the Wildcats a 58-41 lead with 15:52 remaining.
"I told him he played awful after the Arkansas game," Bogans
said. "But he had it all going tonight. He was feeling good."
Daniels' tip-in and free throw gave Kentucky its largest lead,
80-55, with 7:21 to play. Parker's follow put the Wildcats up 20 at
the three-minute mark, and the Tigers never got closer than 12
points the rest of the way.
"I feel like I can leave the locker room and feel confident
about the way I played," Parker said. "I'm just glad I bounced
back from the Arkansas game."
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Auburn Clubhouse
Kentucky Clubhouse
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