Kentucky Survives Late-Game Scare vs. Wofford to Escape With Second-Round Win

The Wildcats watched a nine-point lead dissipate in the final minutes of the game.

It wasn't easy, but No. 2 Kentucky advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 62–56 win over No. 7 Wofford on Saturday, surviving a late-game scare that almost saw them out of the tournament.

After rallying from a six-point first-half deficit, the Wildcats sprinted ahead to a nine-point lead with just under nine minutes left to play. Kentucky was up 54–48 with 5:45 left in the game before a three-point jumper from Nathan Hoover cut the lead to three.

Storm Murphy nailed a three-point jumper with 2:45 left before Keve Aluma's tip shot put Wofford within two with under a minute left. A pair of free throws from Red Travis gave the Wildcats some separation, however, helping Kentucky hold off Wofford's upset bid.

Senior forward Reid Travis led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Ashton Hagans added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Kentucky's relentless defensive effort shut down Wofford's Fletcher Magee, who became college basketball's all-time leader in career 3-pointers on Thursday, to eight points. Magee was just 4-of-17 from the field and shot an ugly 0-for-12 from beyond the arc.

The Wildcats will face either No. 11 Ohio State or No. 3 Houston on March 29.