COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) Immanuel Quickley swears he had no idea he'd made a career-best eight 3-pointers on Tuesday night until he looked at the boxscore after the game.
''I really thought I had four and then I looked at it and said, `I don't remember any of those,''' he said.
Quickley also set a career-high with 30 points thanks to his hot long-range shooting to lead No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats to its seventh straight win, 69-60, over Texas A&M Aggies.
While he didn't seem to be aware of what kind of night he was having, his teammates certainly were.
''Super hot, super hot fire,'' EJ Montgomery said. ''If you touch him, you're going to get burned.''
Quickley is the first Kentucky player with consecutive games with at least 25 points since Malik Monk in 2017. The sophomore scored 26 in a win over Florida on Saturday.
Kentucky (23-5, 13-2 Southeastern Conference) was up by 13 and the Aggies hadn't made a field goal in more than eight minutes when Quenton Jackson ended the drought with a dunk with about 6 minutes to go. That was the start of a 8-2 run by Texas A&M that cut the lead to 57-50 with about 4 minutes left.
Quickley ended the run with a jump shot and hit another 3-pointer after a free throw from Josh Nebo to make it 62-51 with about 90 seconds left to secure the victory. He was equally effective in the first half, making consecutive 3-pointers that thwarted another Texas A&M spurt.
While Quickley's teammates raved about his big night, coach John Calipari was reticent to do so to the point that a reporter finally asked him why he was downplaying the performance.
''No, man, he had 30,'' Calipari said. ''It's big. I love it. I don't know what you want me to say. He made shots.''
Though Calipari finally lauded Quickley, it didn't come until after he'd complained about what he did on one play before halftime.
''At halftime, I wanted to choke him because we set up a play for Nate (Sestina) to shoot a 3 and he was wide open and (Quickley) shot a ball,'' Calipari said. ''I went crazy. Are you kidding me?''
Wendell Mitchell had 18 points for Texas A&M (14-13, 8-7), which had a three-game winning streak snapped. The Aggies have lost nine straight games to ranked opponents, with their last win against a team in the Top 25 coming on March 18, 2018, when they beat No. 10 North Carolina.
Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams said they executed their defensive plan well, but that it just didn't work out because of Quickley's performance.
''Our premise defensively is to do everything we can do to keep the ball out of the paint,'' he said. ''We want to force the team to shoot more 3s than normal.''
He said he didn't consider changing that philosophy even when Quickley got going.
''There were just too many times we were just a second late,'' he said.
BIG PICTURE
Kentucky: Quickley, the SEC's player of the week last week, seems to get better every game and is peaking at the right time. His ability to knock down 3s makes it difficult to slow him and the Wildcats down. It was his third straight game with 20 points or more and his 17th in a row with at least 10.
Texas A&M: The Aggies had discovered some offense during their winning streak but had trouble scoring Tuesday and finished with their worst offensive performance of the season. They'll need to figure out how to be more effective on offense if they hope to close the regular season strong.
25-POINT CLUB
The Wildcats have had five players score 25 points or more this season for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Quickley is joined by Montgomery, Tyrese Maxey, Nick Richards and Hagans in the 25-point club. Calipari believes having so many players who have shown that capability will help his team in the postseason.
''In the tournament, if someone gets hot for your team and they know they can do it because they've done it one time, or twice or three times, that guy may help you win and advance in a game you weren't going to win,'' he said.
UP NEXT
Kentucky: Hosts Auburn on Saturday after losing to the Tigers 75-66 on Feb. 1.
Texas A&M: Visits LSU on Saturday. The Aggies lost to the Tigers 89-85 in overtime in their first meeting this season.
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1st Half
UK
Wildcats
36
TXAM
Aggies
27
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Jumpball received by Texas A&M
19:56
+2
Quenton Jackson made layup
0-2
19:33
+2
Ashton Hagans made jump shot
2-2
19:16
+3
Wendell Mitchell made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Savion Flagg
2-5
18:59
Immanuel Quickley missed floating jump shot
18:57
Defensive rebound by Quenton Jackson
18:49
Josh Nebo missed hook shot
18:47
Defensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
18:41
+2
Nick Richards made alley-oop shot, assist by Ashton Hagans
4-5
18:22
+3
Savion Flagg made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Josh Nebo
4-8
18:08
+3
Immanuel Quickley made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Ashton Hagans
7-8
17:46
Bad pass turnover on Savion Flagg, stolen by Ashton Hagans
17:40
Ashton Hagans missed layup
17:38
Offensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
17:34
+3
Immanuel Quickley made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by EJ Montgomery
10-8
17:20
Bad pass turnover on Savion Flagg, stolen by EJ Montgomery
17:16
Shooting foul on Savion Flagg
17:16
+1
EJ Montgomery made 1st of 2 free throws
11-8
17:16
+1
EJ Montgomery made 2nd of 2 free throws
12-8
16:57
+3
Savion Flagg made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Quenton Jackson
12-11
16:40
+3
Immanuel Quickley made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Ashton Hagans
15-11
16:23
Traveling violation turnover on Emanuel Miller
16:15
Personal foul on Wendell Mitchell
16:09
+2
Ashton Hagans made driving dunk
17-11
15:47
+3
Wendell Mitchell made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Quenton Jackson
17-14
15:22
Tyrese Maxey missed floating jump shot
15:20
Offensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
15:15
+2
EJ Montgomery made dunk
19-14
15:01
Offensive foul on Josh Nebo
15:01
Turnover on Josh Nebo
15:01
Commercial timeout called
14:53
Immanuel Quickley missed 3-pt. jump shot, blocked by Wendell Mitchell
14:51
Defensive rebound by Quenton Jackson
14:23
Traveling violation turnover on Jonathan Aku
14:11
Offensive foul on Nick Richards
14:11
Turnover on Nick Richards
13:54
Quenton Jackson missed 3-pt. jump shot
13:52
Defensive rebound by Ashton Hagans
13:48
Personal foul on Wendell Mitchell
13:35
+2
EJ Montgomery made dunk, assist by Immanuel Quickley
21-14
13:11
Emanuel Miller missed turnaround jump shot, blocked by EJ Montgomery
13:09
Defensive rebound by Immanuel Quickley
12:57
EJ Montgomery missed 3-pt. jump shot
12:55
Defensive rebound by Quenton Jackson
12:41
Quenton Jackson missed 3-pt. jump shot
12:39
Defensive rebound by Ashton Hagans
12:26
Immanuel Quickley missed 3-pt. jump shot
12:24
Offensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
12:16
+3
Tyrese Maxey made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Immanuel Quickley
24-14
11:56
Andre Gordon missed 3-pt. jump shot
11:54
Defensive rebound by Nick Richards
11:31
Tyrese Maxey missed 3-pt. jump shot
11:29
Defensive rebound by Emanuel Miller
11:05
Andre Gordon missed floating jump shot
11:03
Defensive rebound by Immanuel Quickley
10:56
Tyrese Maxey missed layup
10:54
Defensive rebound by Andre Gordon
10:38
+2
Quenton Jackson made running Jump Shot, assist by Andre Gordon
24-16
10:10
Personal foul on Emanuel Miller
10:10
Commercial timeout called
10:08
+2
Immanuel Quickley made jump shot, assist by Tyrese Maxey
26-16
9:48
Personal foul on Keion Brooks Jr.
9:40
Personal foul on Nate Sestina
9:33
Josh Nebo missed hook shot
9:31
Offensive rebound by Savion Flagg
9:31
Savion Flagg missed dunk
9:29
Offensive rebound by Texas A&M
9:21
Shooting foul on Keion Brooks Jr.
9:21
+1
Josh Nebo made 1st of 2 free throws
26-17
9:21
Josh Nebo missed 2nd of 2 free throws
9:21
Defensive rebound by Johnny Juzang
8:55
Johnny Juzang missed 3-pt. jump shot
8:53
Defensive rebound by Josh Nebo
8:28
Wendell Mitchell missed 3-pt. jump shot
8:26
Defensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
8:17
Offensive foul on Ashton Hagans
8:17
Turnover on Ashton Hagans
7:58
Lost ball turnover on Quenton Jackson, stolen by Immanuel Quickley
7:50
Bad pass turnover on Johnny Juzang
7:50
Commercial timeout called
7:35
Emanuel Miller missed turnaround jump shot, blocked by Immanuel Quickley
7:35
Defensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
7:29
Out of bounds turnover on Tyrese Maxey
7:12
+2
Josh Nebo made dunk, assist by Emanuel Miller
26-19
7:03
Offensive foul on Immanuel Quickley
7:03
Turnover on Immanuel Quickley
6:49
+3
Savion Flagg made 3-pt. jump shot
26-22
6:28
Bad pass turnover on EJ Montgomery
6:05
Traveling violation turnover on Savion Flagg
5:47
Personal foul on Emanuel Miller
5:36
EJ Montgomery missed layup
5:34
Offensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
5:27
+3
Immanuel Quickley made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Johnny Juzang
29-22
5:09
+2
Quenton Jackson made layup
29-24
4:53
Johnny Juzang missed 3-pt. jump shot
4:51
Defensive rebound by Jay Jay Chandler
4:34
Quenton Jackson missed layup, blocked by Nick Richards
4:34
Offensive rebound by Texas A&M
4:24
Jay Jay Chandler missed 3-pt. jump shot, blocked by Tyrese Maxey
4:22
Defensive rebound by Nick Richards
3:59
+2
Immanuel Quickley made jump shot
31-24
3:29
Josh Nebo missed dunk
3:27
Defensive rebound by Tyrese Maxey
3:04
Shot clock violation turnover on Kentucky
3:04
Commercial timeout called
2:54
Personal foul on Nick Richards
2:54
+1
Josh Nebo made 1st of 2 free throws
31-25
2:54
Josh Nebo missed 2nd of 2 free throws
2:54
Defensive rebound by Ashton Hagans
2:28
Ashton Hagans missed jump shot
2:26
Defensive rebound by Savion Flagg
2:03
Jay Jay Chandler missed 3-pt. jump shot
2:01
Defensive rebound by Immanuel Quickley
1:37
+3
Nate Sestina made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by EJ Montgomery
34-25
1:15
Jay Jay Chandler missed 3-pt. jump shot
1:13
Defensive rebound by Tyrese Maxey
1:05
+2
EJ Montgomery made alley-oop shot, assist by Tyrese Maxey
36-25
40.0
Andre Gordon missed 3-pt. jump shot
38.0
Defensive rebound by Immanuel Quickley
33.0
30-second timeout called
12.0
Immanuel Quickley missed running Jump Shot
10.0
Offensive rebound by Ashton Hagans
8.0
Lost ball turnover on Ashton Hagans, stolen by Quenton Jackson
7.0
Personal foul on EJ Montgomery
7.0
+1
Josh Nebo made 1st of 2 free throws
36-26
7.0
+1
Josh Nebo made 2nd of 2 free throws
36-27
2.0
Immanuel Quickley missed jump shot
0.0
Defensive rebound by Quenton Jackson
0.0
End of period
2nd Half
UK
Wildcats
33
TXAM
Aggies
33
Time
Team
Play
Score
19:43
+2
Tyrese Maxey made floating jump shot
38-27
19:13
Josh Nebo missed driving layup, blocked by Nick Richards
19:11
Defensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
18:47
Tyrese Maxey missed 3-pt. jump shot
18:45
Defensive rebound by Emanuel Miller
18:16
Savion Flagg missed floating jump shot
18:14
Offensive rebound by Emanuel Miller
18:06
Emanuel Miller missed dunk
18:04
Defensive rebound by Nick Richards
17:57
+3
Immanuel Quickley made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Tyrese Maxey
41-27
17:54
30-second timeout called
17:54
Commercial timeout called
17:51
Personal foul on Immanuel Quickley
17:34
Wendell Mitchell missed jump shot
17:32
Offensive rebound by Josh Nebo
17:26
+3
Wendell Mitchell made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Josh Nebo
41-30
17:03
Bad pass turnover on Ashton Hagans, stolen by Quenton Jackson
16:58
Bad pass turnover on Quenton Jackson, stolen by Tyrese Maxey
16:53
+2
Ashton Hagans made layup
43-30
16:53
Shooting foul on Wendell Mitchell
16:53
+1
Ashton Hagans made free throw
44-30
16:35
Personal foul on Nick Richards
16:25
+2
Josh Nebo made alley-oop shot, assist by Savion Flagg
44-32
16:00
Tyrese Maxey missed jump shot
15:58
Defensive rebound by Wendell Mitchell
15:52
+3
Wendell Mitchell made 3-pt. jump shot
44-35
15:49
30-second timeout called
15:49
Commercial timeout called
15:22
Immanuel Quickley missed running Jump Shot, blocked by Josh Nebo
15:20
Defensive rebound by Josh Nebo
14:58
Shooting foul on Nate Sestina
14:58
Josh Nebo missed 1st of 2 free throws
14:58
+1
Josh Nebo made 2nd of 2 free throws
44-36
14:41
Personal foul on Emanuel Miller
14:29
Offensive foul on Ashton Hagans
14:29
Turnover on Ashton Hagans
14:16
+2
Josh Nebo made alley-oop shot, assist by Savion Flagg
44-38
13:56
+3
Immanuel Quickley made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Ashton Hagans
47-38
13:36
Offensive foul on Josh Nebo
13:36
Turnover on Josh Nebo
13:07
+3
Immanuel Quickley made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Ashton Hagans
50-38
12:33
Bad pass turnover on Quenton Jackson, stolen by EJ Montgomery
12:28
Lost ball turnover on EJ Montgomery
12:13
Jay Jay Chandler missed jump shot
12:11
Defensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
11:53
Immanuel Quickley missed 3-pt. jump shot
11:51
Defensive rebound by Wendell Mitchell
11:23
Wendell Mitchell missed 3-pt. jump shot
11:21
Defensive rebound by Tyrese Maxey
11:02
Personal foul on Jay Jay Chandler
11:02
Commercial timeout called
10:43
Tyrese Maxey missed floating jump shot
10:41
Defensive rebound by Texas A&M
10:19
Emanuel Miller missed layup
10:17
Defensive rebound by Tyrese Maxey
9:58
Lost ball turnover on Tyrese Maxey, stolen by Emanuel Miller
9:30
Lost ball turnover on Wendell Mitchell
9:24
+2
Tyrese Maxey made dunk, assist by Nate Sestina
52-38
9:09
Shooting foul on Johnny Juzang
9:09
+1
Savion Flagg made 1st of 2 free throws
52-39
9:09
+1
Savion Flagg made 2nd of 2 free throws
52-40
8:43
Tyrese Maxey missed 3-pt. jump shot
8:41
Defensive rebound by Wendell Mitchell
8:26
Savion Flagg missed layup
8:24
Defensive rebound by Nick Richards
8:03
Offensive foul on Ashton Hagans
8:03
Turnover on Ashton Hagans
8:03
Commercial timeout called
7:53
Shooting foul on Nate Sestina
7:53
+1
Wendell Mitchell made 1st of 2 free throws
52-41
7:53
+1
Wendell Mitchell made 2nd of 2 free throws
52-42
7:35
+3
Tyrese Maxey made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Ashton Hagans
55-42
7:10
Offensive foul on Josh Nebo
7:10
Turnover on Josh Nebo
6:44
Traveling violation turnover on Immanuel Quickley
6:33
Savion Flagg missed 3-pt. jump shot
6:31
Defensive rebound by Tyrese Maxey
6:12
Offensive foul on EJ Montgomery
6:12
Turnover on EJ Montgomery
5:59
+2
Quenton Jackson made dunk, assist by Savion Flagg
55-44
5:35
+2
Tyrese Maxey made jump shot, assist by Ashton Hagans
57-44
5:15
+3
Savion Flagg made 3-pt. jump shot
57-47
4:44
Offensive foul on Immanuel Quickley
4:44
Turnover on Immanuel Quickley
4:27
Lost ball turnover on Josh Nebo
4:03
Tyrese Maxey missed 3-pt. jump shot
4:01
Defensive rebound by Savion Flagg
3:54
+3
Jay Jay Chandler made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Savion Flagg
57-50
3:52
30-second timeout called
3:52
Commercial timeout called
3:21
Shot clock violation turnover on Kentucky
3:10
Wendell Mitchell missed driving dunk
3:08
Offensive rebound by Savion Flagg
2:55
Wendell Mitchell missed 3-pt. jump shot
2:53
Defensive rebound by Nick Richards
2:25
Immanuel Quickley missed 3-pt. jump shot
2:23
Offensive rebound by EJ Montgomery
2:04
+2
Immanuel Quickley made jump shot
59-50
1:46
Personal foul on Nick Richards
1:46
+1
Josh Nebo made 1st of 2 free throws
59-51
1:46
Josh Nebo missed 2nd of 2 free throws
1:46
Defensive rebound by Immanuel Quickley
1:22
+3
Immanuel Quickley made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by EJ Montgomery
62-51
1:06
+2
Wendell Mitchell made driving layup
62-53
1:06
Full timeout called
58.0
Personal foul on Savion Flagg
56.0
Personal foul on Quenton Jackson
56.0
+1
Ashton Hagans made 1st of 2 free throws
63-53
56.0
+1
Ashton Hagans made 2nd of 2 free throws
64-53
47.0
+2
Josh Nebo made dunk, assist by Wendell Mitchell
64-55
47.0
Personal foul on Quenton Jackson
47.0
+1
Tyrese Maxey made 1st of 2 free throws
65-55
47.0
Tyrese Maxey missed 2nd of 2 free throws
47.0
Defensive rebound by Josh Nebo
41.0
Quenton Jackson missed 3-pt. jump shot
39.0
Defensive rebound by Nick Richards
39.0
Personal foul on Josh Nebo
39.0
+1
Nick Richards made 1st of 2 free throws
66-55
39.0
+1
Nick Richards made 2nd of 2 free throws
67-55
30.0
+3
Savion Flagg made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Wendell Mitchell