Ole Miss gave Kentucky all it could handle for 35 minutes last night, then the Wildcats pulled away late for a 68-58 victory at Tad Smith Coliseum. Here are some excerpts from Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy’s post-game press conference…

Better defense on Kentucky’s part down the stretch?

AK: The difference in the game, and we talked about moments of truth in every game, I thought in the first half we were very, very fortunate to be up two, because they shot the ball, they scored at will, we couldn’t do anything with Randolph Morris, we played right into their hands. Yet we were still up two, because I felt we were a little more aggressive, and we made some shots. You know, 43 percent’s not great, but for us, we’ll take it. Second half, the game was pretty tight, they make a run. We make a run back, get that lead. Then, all of a sudden, Ramel Bradley scores eight points—you know, he got the 3-point foul, then he hits two threes. We get our looks, and we can’t come through. That’s the difference between winning and losing.

Seemed like Kentucky had more success defending Ole Miss’ Dwayne Curtis in the second half?

AK: Yeah, we’re trying to create angles for him. I think everybody realizes what his strengths are, and we realize what his weaknesses are. And we try to get him the ball where he can create an angle and score around the basket, and for him to have 13 (points) and 10 (rebounds), I’m not so sure how much more we can ask. We’re at the point — and I think we all have to be honest with each other — we’re at the point where if Clarence Sanders and Bam Doyne and Todd Abernethy, if we don’t get big production out of two of those three guys, then it’s hard for us to look elsewhere. It’s just where we are right now.

How much did Kentucky’s solid guard play hurt you?

Obviously it was an issue. Coach Smith’s teams always do a good job. They’re going to be very, very sound defensively. Morris in the middle obviously makes you think about attacking him, but they have two blocked shots and they’re from their perimeter people. But again, sometimes you look out there and you just see a different mentality, and I think that goes without saying.

How about Kentucky guard Joe Crawford, who shot 4-of-5 from 3-point range and finished with 23 points?

Oh, I know Joe Crawford is capable of catching and shooting. And we knew about Bradley. Those are the guys we were going to be cognizant of. I thought the zone slowed them down a little bit, had them confused, but we just didn’t finish plays. We gotta keep playing in all circumstances, and you know, if you play 30 seconds out of a 35-second possession — we did that on a couple of occasions, then they stepped up and made a big play. That’s what good teams do.

Ole Miss’ Kenny Williams got into early foul trouble. How does that affect your rotation?

AK: We just have to get a little more productivity out of our guys. I think Kenny was good in the second half. He probably played his best after he picked up his fouls. I thought he was really tentative early on, and we certainly can’t approach any game in the league tentative. We don’t have the ammunition to overcome that.

Any thoughts on playing at Mississippi State on Wednesday?

AK: The games keep coming, so obviously we let a couple of games that we felt we had an opportunity, we didn’t seize the opportunity. We told our guys that unless we come out with a more aggressive mindset, we can’t back our way into victories, and I think that’s what we’ve done the last two games, and we came up short — and we’ll continue to come up short until that mentality changes. We talked about it ad nauseum, what my primary objective is with this group, and obviously I’m not making my point. The culture has to change, and that’s the culture of winning and losing. And guys have to stop accepting being beat.

Were you pleased with the effort from your guys?

AK: I thought the effort was fine. You know, I’m playing guys heavy minutes, and from a guy who made a living shooting the basketball, I know if you don’t make shots sometimes, it takes a little of your energy. It’s amazing how much more energy you have when you shoot it and it goes in. I don’t know what that it is. But when you’re not making shots — and I know Bam and Clarence weren’t making shots — I thought we were a little step slow in the second half, and as a result, we gave them an opportunity, and they took advantage of it. That’s what good teams do.