Dec 8, 2018; New York, NY, USA; Seton Hall Pirates guard Myles Cale (22) puts up a shot against Kentucky Wildcats guard EJ Montgomery (23) in the second half in the Hoops Classic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports
December 8, 2018
Myles Cale hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds left in overtime to lift Seton Hall to an 84-83 upset of No. 9 Kentucky on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The heroics trumped the efforts of Kentucky freshman Keldon Johnson, who hit a miracle half-court shot to force overtime and then drained a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left in overtime to give the Wildcats the lead before Cale’s game-winner.
Seton Hall improves to 6-3 with the victory. Kentucky falls to 7-2 as its seven-game win streak comes to an end.
Cale was the hero for Seton Hall, but it was another Myles, leading scorer Myles Powell, who made it all possible. Trailing 53-51 with 5:53 to play, Powell scored 17 of Seton Hall’s final 19 points in regulation, including a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds to play.
Powell, who had only three points at halftime, made five 3-point baskets during that spree and finished with 28 points. Next came Cale with 17, Quincy McKnight with 15 and Tauren Thompson with 13. None of the three average double figures in scoring for the season.
Seton Hall finished at 45 percent shooting, including 40.7 from 3-point range. It was a glaring weakness for Kentucky, which entered the game allowing opponents to shoot 39.7 percent from 3-point range. That ranks 334th out of 351 teams nationally.
In the loss, Kentucky got a season-best 29 points and 13 rebounds from PJ Washington. The sophomore scored seven of Kentucky’s first nine points to start the game and then scored 11 of the team’s 15 points to help the Wildcats keep pace late in the second half.
Reid Travis added 13 points while Johnson scored 12 and Tyler Herro added 10.
As a team, the Wildcats shot 44.3 percent, but a dismal 25 percent from 3-point range on 5-of-20.
Kentucky was also unable to fully capitalize on its biggest strength. The Wildcats entered the game as the nation’s No. 1 team in rebounding margin at plus-16.7. But the Wildcats managed just a tie with Seton Hall at 36 rebounds apiece.
–Field Level Media
