COLUMN: Step-up Stevenson proving his worth in clutch situations

RELATED STORIES: Harris leaves, but Cats finish strong
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – When the stakes were high and the odds were stacked against the Cats Saturday, UK needed someone to step up.

Jodie Meeks was on his way to another stellar performance, finishing with 27 points to go with nine rebounds. But the yin to Meeks’ yang was missing in action.

Star forward Patrick Patterson spent the majority of the second half of UK’s 61-51 victory over Alabama on the bench with four fouls. His departure left a massive hole in the UK interior game-plan.

Added to the foul-trouble from UK’s star forward was Ramon Harris’s medical emergency at halftime. Harris fainted as the Cats prepared to return to the floor following their halftime talk. His teammates had to start the second half without knowing Harris’s status.

Enter Perry Stevenson, the forgotten man in the UK machine.

Meeks has gotten the national attention with his scoring outburst, Patterson had the pre-season hype. Even Michael Porter and DeAndre Liggins have garnered more headlines after their coaches’ playing time decisions.

You’d have to excuse Stevenson if he felt a little left out.

“None of us like to be underestimated,” Stevenson said. “I hate that feeling.”

For most of the season, UK has been searching for a third scorer. With Patterson in foul trouble Saturday, Stevenson gave UK one better, a second scorer.

The forward from Louisiana finished the game with 16 points to go with 12 rebounds. Stevenson had recorded seven rebounds by halftime.

“Perry was the best he’s ever been at Kentucky, since I’ve been here,” UK Coach Billy Gillispie said.

You could say stepping up when the stakes are high and odds are stacked against the Cats is Stevenson’s patented move.

Stevenson has made a habit of stepping up when UK needed him in the last two seasons. He averaged just over nine points and nine rebounds in UK’s final five games last season after Patterson suffered a season-ending stress fracture in his left ankle.

“Toward the end of last year he turned it up and started playing really good,” Meeks said. “I think he’s back to playing like that again.”

Stevenson’s 12 rebounds gave him consecutive double-digit rebounding games for the second time in his career. The performance marked his second consecutive double-double and sixth of his career. His 16 points were the most he’d scored in a game since scoring 20 in the season-opening loss to the Virginia Military Institute, and he also tied his career high with four assists.

With Patterson on the bench for most of the second half, Stevenson responded with 13 points and five rebounds.

When asked if he agreed with his coach’s assessment that this was his best game at UK, Stevenson was coy.

“I guess coach is a big rebounding guy,” Stevenson said. “I just felt like the balls were coming into my hands.”

After Harris collapsed as the Cats were preparing to leave the locker room after Gillispie’s halftime speech, the UK players were told to continue onto the floor. It was time to play, and they’d have to move on without their teammate.

“We didn’t really know what happened,” Stevenson said. “We just wanted to get a win. We knew he wanted us to continue.”

The Cats would later learn that Harris was taken by ambulance to the DCH Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., but his status was still up in the air. The Cats played the second half as an eerily similar repeat of the Dec. 3 game against Lamar when Harris was taken off the floor on a stretcher and to the hospital after a head-to-head collision with Porter.

Without Harris, UK turned to freshman Darius Miller to fill in. Miller responded by playing the entire second half. While Miller gave the Cats an important spark with his defensive effort, he failed to score.

Stevenson made sure he didn’t half to.

By making seven of eight free throws in the final five minutes, Stevenson closed out UK’s fifth victory in SEC play. Stevenson ended the game with ten points from the free throw line, four more than his previous career high.

The search for a consistent third scorer may still be ongoing for UK, but Stevenson took the lead Saturday.

“As a teammate I hope he can keep it up, and I’m confident he will keep it up,” Meeks said.

After the game Gillispie summarized the importance of Stevenson’s performance.

“When he was needed the most, he played the best.”

After all, that’s Stevenson’s patented move.

Jon Hale is a journalism senior.  Email jhale@kykernel.com.