(Photo: Adam Hunger, Associated Press)
New York — On a night neither team was lighting it up from the perimeter, it was a huge triple from a Kentucky freshman that proved to be the difference in a marquee matchup to open the college basketball season.
Freshman Tyrese Maxey scored 26, including a contested 3-pointer with a minute left in the game to help No. 2 Kentucky knock off No. 1 Michigan State, 69-62, on Tuesday in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden.
It was the fourth straight loss in the event for the top-ranked Spartans in the Champions Classic and the second straight to Kentucky.