Kentucky football (5-6, 2-6 SEC) was decimated 45-17 by No. 14 Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2 SEC) to finish out its 2025 SEC slate. The Wildcats were very short-handed on the defensive side of the ball as injuries piled up in a big way, especially in the secondary as Kentucky was forced to start three freshmen. That mark was also the most yards an SEC quarterback has thrown in a game this season. This game meant a ton to both teams as the Wildcats were fighting for bowl eligibility and the Commodores are trying to secure a playoff bid. Kentucky came into this game on a three-game winning streak and a completely new outlook on the 2025 season. When play began, the Wildcats got the ball first, but could not get a drive sustained. The Commodores did not have any trouble getting going as they moved the ball quickly into Kentucky territory and into the rezone. A few penalties allowed the Wildcats to hold the home team to a field goal to open the scoring. continued to roll as he connected with Tre Richardson for a 71-yard touchdown that gave Vanderbilt a 10-0 lead. Kentucky was forced to punt again and the Commodores continued to gash the banged up secondary and the drive culminated in a 15-yard rushing touchdown score by Richardson. On the ensuing Kentucky offensive drive, Cutter Boley and the offense started to string together some first downs, but Boley suffered a neck injury and was replaced by Zach Calzada. After the defense forced a turnover on downs, Boley returned to the game and led the Wildcats to a field goal to get on the board. The Wildcats did have a touchdown as Boley hit J. J. Hester, who broke a tackle and galloped 41 yards for a touchdown. Boley hit Fred Farrier II for a 9-yard score to result in the 45-17 final score. The win does not change a whole lot for Kentucky as it just needed to win one of its final two games of the season to be bowl eligible. With Louisville now losers of three-straight games, going on the road and winning is still very possible for the Wildcats. Kentucky will hit the road to take on Louisville to close out the 2025 season on Saturday, Nov. 29, with kickoff set for noon ET.
https://kykernel.com/120526/sports/at-the-whistle-kentucky-football-blown-out-by-vanderbilt-45-17/
Tag Archives: short-handed
Aho scores in OT to lift Hurricanes to 4-3 win over Canucks
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sebastian Aho scored 4:29 into overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night.
Andrei Svechnikov had two goals and an assist, and Taylor Hall also scored for the Hurricanes, who have now won six of their last eight games. Shayne Gostisbehere contributed three assists, while Pyotr Kochetkov made 14 saves to help Carolina improve to 4-0 in overtime games this season.
For Vancouver, Conor Garland, Max Pacioretty, and Elias Pettersson each found the back of the net, but the Canucks have now dropped three consecutive games. Goaltender Kevin Lankinen stopped 34 shots in the loss.
Taylor Hall tied the game 3-3 at 6:26 of the third period after Gostisbehere pulled Lankinen out of the crease and then fed Hall for an easy finish.
Earlier, Garland gave the Canucks a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal at 3:13 of the second period, completing a crossing pass from Brock Boeser.
The Canucks struck twice in the first period on just four shots, with the Hurricanes playing a part in both goals. Max Pacioretty skated in alone and beat Kochetkov at 2:45 after Gostisbehere and Mackenzie MacEachern collided at the Carolina blue line.
Pettersson capitalized on a turnover by Sean Walker to score a short-handed goal at 9:14, tying the game at 2-2.
In between those Vancouver goals, Svechnikov scored twice in a 54-second span to give Carolina a 2-1 lead. He first tied the game at 1-1 at 4:20, then put the Hurricanes ahead with a power-play goal at 5:14.
Svechnikov was also involved in an unfortunate incident early in the game, where he inadvertently caught teammate Seth Jarvis, Carolina’s leading scorer, in the face with his stick during a scrum behind the Vancouver goal. Jarvis fell to the ice in pain and was helped off holding a towel to his face. He did not return to the game.
**Up Next**
Canucks: Visit Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Hurricanes: Host Edmonton on Saturday.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/aho-scores-ot-lift-hurricanes-031424101.html
Villanova Flushes the Royals, Defeats Queens NC 94-74
After a tough loss in the opener against BYU on Monday, the Wildcats bounced back with a convincing win over Queens University of Charlotte. Villanova never trailed throughout the game, with their largest lead reaching 22 points.
Leading the Wildcats in scoring once again was sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay, who poured in 25 points along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. While Lindsay wasn’t as effective from beyond the arc, he compensated by going 10-for-11 from the free-throw line.
Freshman guard Acaden Lewis recovered nicely from his rough debut, scoring 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. He also contributed 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 35 minutes of play, impressively committing no turnovers.
Lewis wasn’t the only freshman to step up after their first collegiate game. Freshman Matthew Hodge dominated inside, going 8-for-10 from the field on his way to 18 points. This interior strength was a major theme for Villanova, as they outscored the Royals 62-38 in the paint.
Leading the paint dominance was senior center Duke Brennan, who had a monster game with 17 points and 20 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards. Brennan has been a consistent presence inside for Villanova on both ends of the floor.
The Wildcats were once again short-handed, playing without junior forward Zion Stanford (ankle) and freshman guard Chris Jeffrey, who suffered an ankle injury in practice on Friday.
Queens University was led by senior Nasir Mann, who scored 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Villanova was effective in limiting Royals’ standout Chris Ashby, who managed only 11 points on just 5 shot attempts.
Villanova’s next opponent is Sacred Heart, with the game scheduled for Tuesday night at the Finneran Pavilion.
https://www.vuhoops.com/villanova-wildcats-sports/31741/villanova-flushes-the-royals-defeats-queens-nc-94-74
Austin Reaves drops humble admission after game-winner vs. Timberwolves
The Los Angeles Lakers’ current two-game road trip got off to a thrilling start after Austin Reaves sank a game-winner to bury the Minnesota Timberwolves, 116-115. The shot capped off what’s been a massive week for Reaves, beginning with his career-high 51 points he dropped on the Sacramento Kings last Sunday in a win.
Following the win against the Timberwolves, Austin Reaves remained humble when speaking about the game-winner and his hectic week so far, as per ESPN.
“I’m still not gonna talk about myself,” Reaves said. “It’s fun, I love to play the game of basketball. Obviously I wouldn’t be able to do any of it without our coaching staff believing in me, the players believing in me, and just having so much joy playing basketball. It’s fun. Just guys stepping up after people going down, it’s big.”
The Lakers have dealt with major injury issues to start the year, beginning with LeBron James’ season debut delayed due to a nerve injury. Matters were made worse when it was announced that Luka Dončić would be sidelined for at least one week as he battles both a finger and a leg injury.
But with the Lakers’ star duo sidelined, Reaves has made the case that it should be a star trio instead. Following his 51 points against the Kings, he dropped 41 points in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers as the Lakers were extremely short-handed. And then came the game-winner against the Timberwolves.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has mentioned how one of the ways in which he challenged Reaves was to take on more of a leadership role. He’s made it a point to convey to Reaves that this team is as much his as it is James’ or Dončić’s.
After the Lakers grabbed the win against the Wolves, Redick explained why he has unwavering confidence in Reaves, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“That guy is going to show up in the big moments,” Redick said. “Not surprised. He’s done that many times in his career, he’s done many times since I’ve been his coach. I feel very comfortable with him making decisions in late game.”
Reaves had appeared in all four of the Lakers’ games this season coming into Wednesday’s matchup against the Wolves. He had been averaging 35.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.8 steals with shooting splits of 57.3 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from three-point range, and 88.2 percent from the free-throw line. He also was leading the league in free-throw attempts at 12.8 per game.
This offseason is shaping up to be a big one for Reaves, as he can opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent. Reaves turned down a contract extension from the Lakers this past offseason, but that does not necessarily mean he won’t be in purple and gold for years to come. Financially, it’s better for him to opt out and re-sign on a longer deal with the Lakers once the season is over.
If he keeps up this level of play, an All-Star appearance might be in the not-so-distant future.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-austin-reaves-humble-admission-game-winner-timberwolves