It was an epic game seemingly played to a Wagnerian soundtrack. Such a game demanded a hero and a most unlikely one emerged.

Jules Camara, who lost his starting position earlier this season, seemed all but forgotten as Kentucky and Tennessee did their longtime rivalry proud last night.

Despite sitting on the bench for the first 12 minutes of the second half, Camara scored six straight points down the stretch to help Kentucky beat Tennessee 74-71 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both.

Twice Camara swished foul-line jumpers, his first baskets of the second half. His second put UK ahead for good, 72-71, with 53.1 seconds left in a game that saw neither team lead by double-digit points.

"They left me open," Camara said. "Everybody knows I can knock down that jump shot."

Tennessee Coach Buzz Peterson picked his poison.

"We just didn't want to get hurt inside," he said. "I'd rather see him shoot that than have (Keith) Bogans drive into the lane or the ball go inside."

After Camara's second jumper, Tennessee twice called timeout to set up a hero of its own. The choice was obvious.

"We tried to get a shot for Ron," Peterson said of forward Ron Slay, who leads the Southeastern Conference in scoring (22.6 ppg). "But they locked him up."

The Vols hoped Slay would get free after setting a screen. But UK forward Chuck Hayes never allowed a pass to Slay.

"I just told myself and my teammates, I'm not going to let him (Slay) touch the ball," Hayes said. "If he doesn't have it, he can't score. Just be a nag in his ear."

Tennessee was left with Thaydeus Holden taking an off-balanced leaner in the air that never got to the rim.

After Gerald Fitch made two free throws with 16.5 seconds left to extend the lead to three points, the Cats needed one more defensive stop. Again Tennessee looked for Slay. Again Slay, who led all scorers with 22 points, couldn't get open.

"Just lingering around the top of the key," Hayes said of Slay, who logged 39 tiring minutes in a mentally and physically draining game.

Freshman John Winchester rushed a three-point shot that bounced off the back of the rim.

"When I got on the court, I wasn't thinking of shooting ..." Winchester said. "I wasn't looking to create nothing. Any other time, I'd be thinking of pulling (the trigger), but I was thinking it was going to be a screen and they (Slay or Holden) were going to get something out of it."

<a href='http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/sports/colleges/university_of_kentucky/4905569.htm' target='_blank'>Kentucky, which improved to 10-3 overall, benefited from Camara's enduring sense of readiness.</a>