Kentucky uses defense to hold on for 62-49 win over Georgia

Kentucky held Georgia to just 28.3 shooting in holding on for a 62-49 victory in the 2018 SEC Tournament quarterfinal round.

The Wildcats didn’t allow the Bulldogs to get much of anything going offensively, as John Calipari’s team led for all but 34 seconds in the game.

Kentucky shot 42.6 percent from the field and had no trouble taking care of the ball in committing only five turnovers.

PJ Washington led the Wildcats in scoring with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and captured seven rebounds.

Fellow freshman Kevin Knox nearly earned a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came close as well with 15 points and nine assists.

Tyree Crump was Georgia’s only double-digit scorer with 17 points, with the sophomore knocking down 4 of 8 attempts from 3-point range.

Georgia forward Yante Maten, who had scored in double figures in the team’s previous 17 games, finished with nine points and went just 2 of 10 from the floor.

The Bulldogs picked up a 42-39 edge on the glass, but Kentucky owned the lane with a 38-12 advantage in points in the paint.

Kentucky’s semifinal opponent will be Alabama, who knocked off No. 1 seed Auburn earlier on Friday after rallying from a 10-point deficit at halftime.

The Wildcats scored a 10-point home win over the Tide in the only regular season meeting between the two teams.