Five highlights from UK’s win at Auburn

By Nick Gray | UK basketball beat writer

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UK held Auburn University to 33 percent shooting and dominated the rebounding margin in its 64-56 victory at Auburn Arena. Here are five highlights from Wednesday’s game:

1. Avoiding the trap – With Saturday’s showdown against the University of Florida looming, the Cats finished off the Tigers with a 23-12 run relying heavily on the freshman trio of Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison and Julius Randle. The three players combined for 25 of UK’s 36 second-half points. Andrew Harrison led the Cats with a team-high 16 points, even with a 3-for-10 shooting night.

2. Shots on ice – UK shot 30.9 percent against a defense tied for the conference’s worst, and freshman guard James Young was the leader of the Cats’ freezing cold offense. Young hit one shot in 10 attempts and made it to the free throw line twice in 31 minutes. No UK player made more than four field goals.

3. Denson dusts up UK’s defense – Though Auburn struggled shooting the basketball, Tigers senior guard Chris Denson poured in 26 of Auburn’s 56 points on Wednesday. Denson’s effort contrasted with junior guard KT Harrell’s shooting, who scored 12 points under his season average of 19.4.

4. Cauley-Stein’s throwdown – Before Auburn began to ascend to the lead, UK sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein dribbled around a screen on the three-point line and slammed the ball home in front of Auburn freshman center Matthew Atewe. The SEC Network loved the dunk so much that the first-half highlight reel showed the dunk repeatedly.

5. Focus on Florida – All week, the focus outside the UK locker room has been on Florida coming into town on Saturday night, along with ESPN’s College GameDay. The Gators took care of business at the University of Tennessee on Tuesday even when shooting below their normal average. With the Cats doing the same, the stage is set for a Top 15 matchup and a chance for UK to grab its best win of the season.