Kentucky 71, Auburn 62

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Posted 11:57PM on Tuesday, January 24, 2006

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Joe Crawford put Kentucky ahead with his shooting and foul shots, and Rajon Rondo's 1-on-1 skills kept the Wildcats in control. Crawford had 23 points and nine rebounds, Rondo drove for four consecutive baskets once it got close and Kentucky beat Auburn 71-62 Tuesday night for its third consecutive victory. The Wildcats (13-6, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) had a 16-point lead cut to six midway through the second half. Then, they spread the floor to let Rondo go to work and he kept breezing by Auburn defenders to fuel a 10-0 run that wiped out the Tigers' comeback. ``We like putting the ball in his hands in that situation,'' Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. Kentucky has won 21 of the last 22 meetings and continues to roll after ending a three-game losing streak and starting 0-2 in the league. The Tigers (8-8, 0-5) managed their highest scoring total in an SEC game but remained winless in the league. The Wildcats snapped out of their funk with hot shooting, hitting 56 percent in their previous two wins. This time they did it with stingy defense and foul shooting. Crawford made 9-of-11 free throws and 4-of-6 3-pointers. ``If my outside shot isn't falling, I adjust and try to take the ball to the basket,'' he said. ``I'm doing a better job of being in the right place on the court.'' Rondo finished with 12 points and eight boards as Kentucky's backcourt supplied much of the team's rebounding. Forward Randolph Morris had eight points and no rebounds in 14 minutes, picking up his fourth foul with 9:07 left. The Wildcats overcame their poor shooting including 1-of-11 in 3-pointers in the second half with repeated trips to the line. They made 17-of-24 free throws after halftime as Auburn resorted to fouling to try to slow down Crawford Co. ``Joe Crawford was outstanding, getting to the free throw line and attacking the basket and making his shots,'' Smith said. Quantez Robertson led four double-figure scorers for Auburn with 14 points and five assists. Ronny LeMelle added 13 points, Rasheem Barrett 12 and Frank Tolbert 11 for the Tigers. ``We could never really get it to that point where we made it interesting,'' Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said. Rondo made sure it didn't get too ``interesting.'' He started his series of trips to the basket after the Tigers hit three consecutive 3-pointers to cut it to 51-45. Like his defenders, Lebo was helpless to stop him. ``When they get ahead, they can spread it out and put the ball in Rondo's hands, and he can go by anybody,'' Lebo said. ``He made some key plays in the second half to keep us at arm's length.'' Kentucky shot just 30 percent from the floor in the second half. Then Auburn managed just one more field goal over a stretch of nearly seven minutes. The Wildcats were coming off an 80-78 win over South Carolina on Rondo's 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left. With Crawford's hot shooting and a stingy defense, the Wildcats didn't need any dramatic shots against the Tigers. Kentucky pushed its lead to 66-48 with 5:27 left on the final basket of Rondo's spurt. ``They started crowding me,'' he said. ``I knew I could beat my man off the dribble. I wasn't necessarily looking to score but no one came open so I just laid the ball.'' Auburn missed seven consecutive shots during that stretch but made a late rally to keep the score respectable. The Wildcats started their win streak at Georgia. The two road wins, Rondo said, ``are big for us getting our confidence back.'' But Morris has played only 31 minutes the past two games, fouling out against South Carolina. ``We've got to get him a lot more conscious of playing without fouling,'' Smith said. The Wildcats did much of their damage with 3-pointers early, hitting six to build a 39-28 halftime lead. Auburn was scoreless over the final three minutes. The Tigers made just 14-of-24 free throws and committed 12 turnovers in the half. ``We just weren't good enough tonight,'' Lebo said. (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)