STARKVILLE, Miss. – De'Aaron Fox scored 21 points and the lesser-known supporting cast helped push No. 5 Kentucky past Mississippi State 88-81 at Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday.
Forwards Wenyen Gabriel and Derek Willis each had 13 points, as the Wildcats held on for a 10th straight victory over Mississippi State after blowing an 18-point lead in the second half.
Foul trouble limited some of Kentucky's stars and others were plagued by off-shooting nights and turnovers. Malik Monk, the league's leading scorer posted 14 points, but missed 9 of his 14 shots and committed five turnovers. Freshman forward Bam Adebayo finished with only five points -- the first time he failed to reach double digits in 14 games -- after he played only six minutes in the first half and 20 overall due to time on the bench with fouls.