By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEXINGTON - Kentucky had seen its lead slip to five points and had gone scoreless on four consecutive possessions.

Then the smallest player strayed down to the low post to make the game's biggest basket.

Cliff Hawkins' backdoor cut, thanks to a Chuck Hayes assist, netted a bank shot with 2:33 left that restored Kentucky's momentum Sunday in its 70-62 victory over Mississippi State. Hawkins, UK's 6-foot-1 reserve point guard, also went inside for a stickback basket in the first half.

"I was just trying to find open shots wherever I could on the floor," he said.

Don't discount the 14-foot and 17-foot jumpers he made, or the 3-pointer after he was spun around by a defender.

Hawkins was 5-of-6 for a season-high 14 points, and he added three assists, two rebounds and a steal with just one turnover.

"When he's on, like he was today, he's as good as anybody in the country at beating pressure (defense)," UK coach Tubby Smith said. "And when he's making shots, he becomes double trouble."

Hawkins (5.3 ppg) has scored in double figures in four of his last nine games. He doesn't often look for his outside shot, as he has made just 11 3-pointers, but he is hitting a team-best 44 percent from that range.

He had shot 29.7 percent on 3-pointers over his previous two seasons. "My outside shooting is getting better," Hawkins said. "The biggest thing is being confident, and not hesitating when I find myself open."

Hawkins had a rough game Wednesday at Arkansas with four turnovers and no assists, but his ballhandling has generally improved. His 1.82-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio this winter compares to a 1.23-to-1 ratio over the past two seasons.

"It really takes the pressure off other guys when he can penetrate," Smith said.

'D' THE KEY: The Bulldogs drew within 60-55 with 5:13 remaining, but UK held them scoreless on their next five possessions. MSU had just one more basket, a tip-in by Timmy Bowers with 40 seconds remaining.

STAT DIES: The victory Sunday clinched a single-digit-loss season for UK. That's significant because the Wildcats had lost 10 games each of the past three seasons, the first time that had happened in school history.

CAT TALES: UK has swept its Southeastern Conference West Division opponents for the first time since 1996. . . . The victory Sunday was the 350th in Rupp Arena. UK is 350-40 (89.7 percent) in 27 seasons in Rupp. . . . This was the 600th consecutive home game attended by superfan Bob Wiggins of Falmouth, Ky.

UP NEXT: UK plays host to Tennessee (15-8, 7-5 SEC) at 8 p.m. Wednesday.