Malachi Moreno Delivers Buzzer-Beater as Kentucky Stuns LSU in Comeback Win
For about 30 minutes of game time, it looked like Kentucky was headed for a long, painful night in Baton Rouge. The Wildcats couldn’t buy a bucket in the first half, managing just 22 points, while LSU looked poised to run away with a statement win, taking a 16-point lead into the break. But then, as they’ve done so many times in program history, Kentucky found a way to claw back.
And when the dust settled, it was a freshman who delivered the moment of the season so far.
Enter Malachi Moreno.
With the game tied and the clock ticking down, Moreno caught a full-court pass in stride and got the shot off just in time, banking it in at the buzzer to complete a wild comeback and give the Wildcats a much-needed win in SEC play. It was the kind of play every kid in Kentucky dreams about - the backyard buzzer-beater, the game-winner under the lights. Moreno made it real.
Make no mistake: this wasn’t a masterpiece. Kentucky was out of rhythm for long stretches, struggled to generate offense early, and looked out of sync defensively in the first half.
But they kept fighting. And in a wide-open SEC, surviving nights like this matters.
The win bumps Kentucky to 2-2 in conference play - not exactly where they want to be, but considering how this game started, it’s a result they’ll gladly take. More importantly, it avoids what would’ve been a brutal loss on the road to an LSU team that’s still trying to find its footing under Matt McMahon.
For Moreno, this is the kind of moment that can define a season - not just for him personally, but for the team as a whole. Sometimes it just takes one spark to shift the momentum, to remind a team of what it’s capable of when the game is on the line.
Whether this becomes a turning point remains to be seen. Kentucky still has plenty to figure out, especially with a tough slate ahead. But for now, they’ve got a buzzer-beater, a highlight that’ll live in Big Blue lore, and a young freshman who just etched his name into the Wildcats’ memory bank.
And for Malachi Moreno? That’s a shot he’ll never forget.