National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Baylor 67, Kentucky 62
When: 10:00 PM ET, Friday, December 6, 2013
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Officials: # Joe DeRosa, # Tony Green, # Kipp Kissinger
Attendance: 12818


No. 20 Baylor 67, No. 4 Kentucky 62: Kenny Chery scored 18 points as the Bears came from behind in the second half to beat the Wildcats at the inaugural Big 12/SEC Challenge at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

Cory Jefferson added 13 points and eight rebounds and Isaiah Austin had 13 points, six rebounds and five blocks for Baylor (8-1). Rico Gathers gave the Bears a boost off the bench, finishing with six points, 13 rebounds and three steals.

Julius Randle finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for Kentucky (7-2). Aaron Harrison added 15 points and six assists and James Young contributed 14 points for the Wildcats.

Kentucky stretched its three-point halftime lead to nine but Gathers played a big role in an 8-0 run that made it a tight game down the stretch. A slam dunk by Austin gave the Bears a 61-57 lead with four minutes left, but Young’s 3-pointer cut the deficit back to one less than a minute later.

A key play came when Jefferson shot an airball but Royce O’Neale was in position for the putback to give Baylor a 63-60 lead with 1:22 remaining. Chery then sank another jumper for a 65-61 lead with 43 seconds left and Kentucky wasn’t able to cut the deficit back to one possession.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The start of the game was delayed more than an hour after the preceding game between the Kentucky and Baylor women’s teams went four overtimes before Kentucky won 133-130 in the all-time highest-scoring women’s Division I game. … Kentucky had 19 assists on 21 field goals. … Baylor improved to 4-0 this season in games decided by five points or less after finishing 2-8 in such contests last season.
Top Game Performances
 
Kentucky   Baylor
Julius Randle 16 Scoring Kenny Chery 18
Aaron Harrison 6 Assists Kenny Chery 5
Julius Randle 8 Rebounds Rico Gathers 13
Julius Randle 6 Free Throws Made Cory Jefferson 3
N/A Steals Rico Gathers 3
Willie Cauley-Stein 3 Blocks Isaiah Austin 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Kentucky 62 42.0 8-17 12-23 19 22 5 0 9
Baylor 67 47.3 2-11 13-22 14 36 6 4 13