Reed Sheppard stats: How did the Kentucky star perform against MS State?

Reed Sheppard had a night to remember in Starkville, Mississippi, as the freshman guard led the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats to a 91-89 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Tuesday night.

Kentucky clawed back from 13 points down to beat Mississippi State, with Sheppard burying the game-winner with two seconds remaining. The Bulldogs fans were stunned by the result as they did not expect the six-foot-three guard to deliver a career-defining game on their home court.

Reed Sheppard stats against MS State

Sheppard, who came off the bench in this game for the John Calipari-coached Wildcats, dropped a career-high 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from the 3-point line. He also had five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks in 35 minutes of action.

DATE	OPP	RESULT	MIN	FG	FG%	3PT	3P%	FT	FT%	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PF	TO	PTS
Wed 2/28	MS ST	W 91-89	35	11-14	78.6	4-7	57.1	6-6	100.0	5	7	2	2	1	2	32

Sheppard scored 23 of his points in the second half, where Kentucky completed a 15-point turnaround after being down 52-39 early in the second half. This included an 11-point explosion in the last 1:35 that handed the Wildcats their 20th win of the season and improved 10-5 in the closely-fought Southeastern Conference standings.

Sheppard was also supported by Antonio Reeves, who came up with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. Adou Thiero and DJ Wagner also produced double-figure outputs for the Wildcats, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Reed Sheppard scoring spree wastes Josh Hubbard's big night

Josh Hubbard #13 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs drivers to the basket.

Mississippi State squandered what was Josh Hubbard's second-consecutive 30-point night. Hubbard carried the fight for the Bulldogs, scoring 34 points on 11-of-24 shooting, including 7-of-14 from the 3-point line.

But second-half miscues and Sheppard's explosion down the stretch caused the home squad to waste away the lead and the guard's excellent showing. It was Hubbard's career-high, eclipsing the 32-point output he had against Louisiana State University.

Tolu Smith contributed 21 markers for Mississippi State, while Shakeel Moore added 10. The Bulldogs dropped to 19-9 and 8-7 in the SEC. The loss also dampens Mississippi State's chances of making the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky will have three more games remaining to wrap up their regular season. They will next face Arkansas on March 2 at their homecourt, the Rupp Arena. On the other hand, Mississippi State will lock horns against No. 11 Auburn also on March 2 at the Neville Arena.

Recommended Video

Can You Guess These LA Lakers Players Using Just Emojis? | NBA Quiz Challenge!