Hick's 27 points not enough to beat Wildcats

Ben Bryant
dm senior Staff writer

Marcus Hicks recorded a new career high Wednesday at No. 18 Kentucky, scoring 27 points in Ole Miss' attempt to get its first SEC win.

But Hicks' heroics couldn't make up for the Rebels' disadvantage under the basket as the Wildcats handed them a 74-69 defeat, their fifth straight Southeastern Conference loss.

The Rebels, 12-6 and 0-5, were out-rebounded 45-35 by the taller Wildcats, who used 17 second-chance points to make up for 40.7 percent shooting.

Hicks, who usually scores in the paint, included three three-point baskets in his game-high total.

The forward kept Ole Miss alive in the second half, scoring points during long scoring droughts by the home team.

But Kentucky's trademark scoring streaks lifted the Wildcats, 12-5 and 3-1, to their eighth win in nine games.

Senior center Jamaal Magloire keyed the Wildcat attack, scoring 19 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.

Kentucky led by as much as 65-47 with 3:22 to play after a 15-4 run that saw two three pointers by freshman guard Keith Bogans.

Bogans' three treys accounted for all three-point scoring for Kentucky, which shot a cold 17.6 percent from behind the arch.

The Wildcats' poor shooting and constant fouling by Ole Miss toward the final buzzer enabled the Rebels to walk away with an ostensibly respectable loss. Seldom-used junior Ray Waddell hit Ole Miss' last bucket, a three-pointer with 10 seconds to play.

The game was marked by fouls, including four technicals. Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes picked up the first for comments to the officials early in the first half. The second went to forward Rahim Lockhart, and the final two were slapped on Wildcat players.

Ole Miss returns to action Saturday against No. 4 Auburn at Tad Smith Coliseum. Tip-off, originally scheduled for 2 p.m., has been re-set to noon to accomodate a Jefferson-Pilot broadcast.