Kentucky vs. LSU: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

Usually, going on a 16-0 run in the second half of a conference game at home is a recipe for a victory. Usually, that is, unless the opponent is the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky survived a thrilling game in its trip to LSU on Tuesday and walked away with a 71-69 win. LSU's Keith Hornsby had a chance to win it with a three-pointer at the buzzer, but his shot hit the backboard and never had much of a chance. It was a heartbreaking loss for a Tigers squad that held a six-point lead late in the second half, but credit the Wildcats for the resilience they showed down the stretch.

Willie Cauley-Stein led the way for Kentucky with 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Harrison all finished in double figures. Towns turned in a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds and hit a monumental shot to put the Wildcats ahead with under two minutes to go.

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Jarell Martin spearheaded the LSU attack with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Hornsby added 17 points of his own.

Kentucky received excellent news before the game even started when Trey Lyles let the fans know he was back after missing three games with an illness:

Other than that, things did not go according to script in the early going for the Wildcats. Kentucky Basketball described the opening minutes and noted that the crowd was rocking:

It wasn't just that Kentucky was losing early; it was the way it was happening. LSU threw down a number of dunks in the first eight minutes of the game, including multiple alley-oops, which had the crowd at a deafening level. Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports pointed out that it felt like a potential upset:

"

Guys, I’m not saying Kentucky is going to lose. I’m just saying LSU is up for this, Kentucky is asleep.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) February 11, 2015"

Booker responded like he has for most of the season, though, and scored seven quick points in two minutes to trim the lead. Kentucky beat writer Jerry Tipton tried to foreshadow what was to come with Booker and that deep Wildcats bench:

Cauley-Stein and Towns altered multiple impressive plays down low, and Kentucky gradually cut the lead to 26-23. Steve Jones of The Courier-Journal pointed out what many LSU fans likely feared during the solid first half:

It felt like only a matter of time before Kentucky pulled ahead, and that is exactly what happened. The Wildcats took a 38-34 lead into intermission, which had to be disappointing for the LSU faithful considering how well the Tigers played in the opening minutes.

In so many words, Vecenie essentially said LSU isn't on Kentucky's level:

"

LSU played just about as perfect a half as it could. Controlled tempo. Limited TOs. And it’s still down four at halftime.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) February 11, 2015"

Kentucky coach John Calipari almost predicted that the Tigers would start off fast before the game, via Glenn Guilbeau of WWLTV.com: "Every time we played them, they come right after us. They did not back down. It's going to be a hard game for us."

The Wildcats picked up right where they left off out of the locker room and extended the lead. Jones noted that LSU was going to have its hands full if it had any hope of coming away with the upset: 

If it weren't for Martin, things may have been a lot worse for LSU in the opening minutes of the second half, as Jim Kleinpeter of The Times-Picayune pointed out:

The Tigers may have kept it close to begin the second half, but Cauley-Stein had other ideas. In the span of a few possessions, he threw down multiple rim-rattling dunks over the LSU defense and drew a foul on one. ESPN College Basketball had a highlight, while Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio, Jay Williams of ESPN and Guilbeau all commented on Cauley-Stein's play:

"

When Willie Cauley-Stein plays, he ends up on the #SCtop10. He has 11 points after this incredible dunk. http://t.co/tzXc4UtaAE

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) February 11, 2015"

The Wildcats used that momentum from Cauley-Stein's dunks to stretch the lead to double digits before the under-12-minute timeout. Brett Dawson of Rivals had bad news for Tigers fans:

Just when it looked like Kentucky was set to run away with it, LSU went on a 15-2 run to tie the game at 60. A Towns lapse in judgment proved to be a crucial play in that sequence, as Scott Rabalais of The Advocate noted:

From there, the Tigers electrified the crowd by taking a 64-60 lead. Rob Dauster of NBC Sports pointed out that Calipari needed to find a way to stop the bleeding, even if it meant putting Towns back in after the critical technical:

"

I know Cal is pissed at Towns, but you have to get him back in there. He's been tough as hell on the D glass. Dakari, Trey, WCS not so much.

— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) February 11, 2015"

Towns finally put an end to what finished as a 16-0 (and 21-2) LSU run with an incredible step-back jumper to cut the lead to 66-62. ESPN's Myron Medcalf set the stage for the final six minutes:

The two teams traded baskets as LSU took a 69-66 lead into the under-four-minute timeout. LostLettermen.com had some advice for Kentucky, considering the game was being played near the New Orleans Pelicans' home:

Kentucky responded with four consecutive points to take a 70-69 lead, two of which came on a beautiful baby hook from Towns in the paint. However, it was the defense on the other end that was more impressive when the Wildcats held the Tigers to a crippling shot-clock violation.

That gave the ball back to Kentucky with 50 seconds remaining and a one-point lead. Incredibly, Kentucky missed its shot, but Towns outmuscled the Tigers for the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Booker, who was then fouled.

Dauster praised Towns in the process:

Booker only hit one free throw to increase the Wildcats' advantage to 71-69, which left the Tigers with one last opportunity. 

LSU went for the three-pointer and the win at the buzzer, and Hornsby's shot clanked off the backboard and the side of the rim. Just like that, the air was let out of the building, and the Wildcats narrowly escaped.

The undefeated dreams live on.

What's Next?

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Kentucky returns home Saturday with its perfect record intact for a contest against South Carolina. The Gamecocks are in the midst of a disappointing SEC season and should be a fairly easy opponent for the Wildcats after a difficult two-game road trip to Florida and LSU.

LSU hits the road to face Tennessee on Saturday in a matchup between two teams squarely on the bubble when it comes to the NCAA tournament. That means there will be a little more at stake than your typical February conference matchup.