For the second straight game, No. 1 UK had to fight to keep its perfect record alive.

After surviving what sophomore guard Aaron Harrison called a “battle” against Florida on Saturday, the Cats eked by LSU 71-69 in Baton Rouge, La., on Tuesday.

UK appeared to have the game in hand with less than 13 minutes remaining, leading the Tigers 58-45 at the time. But LSU stormed back, outscoring the Cats 21-2 in a five-minute span and secured its first lead of the second half.

The Cats weren’t looking to give up so easily, however. Freshman forward Karl-Anthony Towns hit a long jumper to break UK’s scoring drought, and junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein and sophomore guard Andrew Harrison responded to LSU’s continual attempts to pull off the major upset with baskets of their own.

After getting fouled, Andrew Harrison hit both free throws to put the Cats within one point at the at the 2:43 mark. The team was able to get a stop against LSU on the next play, and Towns put up a hook shot over Tiger defenders to give UK the lead back late.

LSU still had a final chance to topple the sole-remaining undefeated team after UK freshman guard Devin Booker missed the second of two free throws. But the Tigers couldn’t find an open shot to either tie or win the game, allowing the Cats to walk out of another opponent’s arena unscathed.

Cauley-Stein led the team in points with 15, going 7-for-9 from the floor, while Booker, Towns and Andrew Harrison finished with double-digit points as well.

Freshman forward Trey Lyles played in his first game on Tuesday since being held out due to an undisclosed illness on Jan. 31. Lyles finished with four points, three rebounds and a block against LSU.

UK’s 24-0 record is now the second-best start to a season for the program. The Cats can tie the best-ever start with a home win against South Carolina on Saturday.

Staff Report