NEW ORLEANS, March 16 (UPI) -- Keith Bogans scored 22 points Sunday as the second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats won their 23rd straight game and captured their 24th SEC Tournament crown by holding on for a 64-57 victory over the 25th-ranked Mississippi Bulldogs.
Kentucky (29-3) became the first team to cap an unbeaten SEC regular-season slate with a tournament title since its 1951-52 squad. The championship did not come easy against Mississippi State, which was seeking back-to-back crowns for the first time.
"We are really pleased and it is a real honor to win this tournament," Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith said. "It was a great challenge for us against a very talented Mississippi State team.
"Mississippi State really had our work cut out for us. I couldn't be more proud of our young men and how hard they worked today and how they kept their composure and stay poised when things weren't going well for us."
The Bulldogs (21-9) had a chance to take the lead late when Mario Austin went to the line with 1:51 left and his team trailing, 56-55. But Austin missed both free throws and Mississippi State never recovered.
Marquis Estill responded with a layup with 1:24 left and Derrick Zimmerman missed a layup on the other end. Chuck Hayes rebounded for the Wildcats and made a pair from the line for a60-55 edge with 66 seconds remaining.
"Even with all the missed shots, we still had a chance to take the lead with a minute to go on two free throws," Bulldogs Coach Rick Stansbury said. "I think fatigue had a little to do with it, and if anybody had a reason to be fatigued, it's Timmy Bowers, Derrick Zimmerman and Mario Austin."
Austin's layup pulled Mississippi State within 60-57 with 44 seconds to play. Kentucky sealed the win by converting four of six at the line.
Bogans made six of 13 shots and also grabbed seven rebounds as he continued a magnificent senior season. He has sacrificed his scoring during the Wildcats' run through the SEC to focus on other areas and netted his highest point total since Dec. 30.
"Coming into this game, we knew it would be a tough game," Bogans said. "They were going to play us down to the end. I think coach told us that the team that was going to win was the team that won the battle. The team that wins the little battles wins the war. We just wanted to win all the battles and we did that today."
It was the second time that Mississippi State nearly topped Kentucky, having clawing back from a 19-point deficit to get within five in an 70-62 loss on Feb. 23. The Bulldogs missed a number of chances to get closer down the stretch in that one.
Instead, Kentucky was able to cut down the nets at the Superdome, something they hope to repeat here on April 7 in the national championship contest. The Wildcats also will enter the NCAA Tournament as the nation's No. 1 team after Arizona lost in the Pac-10 Conference tournament.
"I think that will mean that we are the top seed in the NCAA Tournament," Smith said. "To come through this league undefeated and being able to win this tournament, I think that qualifies as being considered the best. I think that will help our seeding."
Kentucky took the lead for good with a 13-4 spurt in the second half that featured seven points from Estill. His three-point play with 12:38 to go gave the Wildcats a 48-39 lead.
The lead was still nine after Hayes made a pair from the line for a 54-45 advantage with 7:22 to go. The Bulldogs answered with a 10-2 surge, pulling within a point on reserve Winsome Frazier's three-pointer with 2:43 to play.
Bowers, who scored a season-high 26 points in Saturday's semifinal victory over Louisiana State, led the Bulldogs with 13 points. Zimmerman suffered through 3-of-13 shooting for 11 points.
"I guess they were the better team today," Zimmerman said. "We didn't make the plays that we needed down the stretch."
