College basketball: Kentucky hods off Louisville rally for 75-73 win

Tyler Ulis scored 21 points, and No. 12 Kentucky held off 16th-ranked Louisville’s rally for a 75-73 win in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday to give John Calipari his 200th victory as the Wildcats’ coach.

Damion Lee, who led the Cardinals with 27 points, was well off on a potential winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Kentucky (10-2) led by 16 points early in the second half before Louisville came almost all the way back. The Cardinals (11-2) had a chance to tie or take the lead with less than a minute left but Trey Lewis was called for traveling.

The Wildcats then committed a shot-clock violation to give Louisville one more chance.

Alex Poythress scored 14 points for Kentucky. Dominique Hawkins added 13 and Jamal Murray had 12.

Kentucky’s second-leading scorer, Isaiah Briscoe, sat out after hurting his ankle during pregame warmups. Freshman guard Charles Matthews started in place of Briscoe, who averages 11.5 points, but it was Hawkins who gave the Wildcats a spark in his absence.

Hawkins hit a clutch three-pointer and made two free throws in the final three minutes to keep the Wildcats in front.

In the latest installment of the rivalry, Calipari and Louisville coach Rick Pitino both received technical fouls late in the first half.

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Calipari is now 8-1 against the Cardinals with Kentucky.

Poythress scored six of the Wildcats’ first eight points to open the second half, stretching their lead to 52-36 with 17:49 remaining.

Twice after Louisville pulled within two in the last five minutes, Kentucky hit a big three-pointer — one by Ulis and another from Hawkins.

The Wildcats made a season-high 11 three-pointers.

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