John Wall had 24 points - one short of his career high - and Eric Bledsoe added 16 as No. 3 Kentucky fought off No. 12 Tennessee for a 73-62 victory Saturday night.
Down 52-50 midway through the second half after a three-point play by J.P. Prince, Kentucky (24-1, 9-1) scored the next 10 points - six of them by Wall - to give John Calipari his first win over Bruce Pearl in a Southeastern Conference matchup. The two met annually when Calipari coached at Memphis.
Wall's career-high 25 points came earlier this season against UConn.
Bledsoe, Kentucky's other freshman backcourt star, clinched the victory with three clutch shots in a row: a fastbreak layup followed by two 3-pointers.
Bobby Maze led the Vols (18-6, 6-4) with 15 points. Melvin Goins had a career-high 14.
