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The Wildcats took on the Duquesne Dukes in a Friday night matchup at Rupp Arena. The Dukes entered the game 1-0, coming off a 28-point win over Montana. The ‘Cats are fresh off a 32-point opening night win over Howard. Senior PG Sahvir Wheeler made his return to the court Friday night, after sitting out the opener with a knee sprain suffered in the first exhibition game against Missouri Western State. Oscar Tshiebwe and Daimion Collins were inactive for the ‘Cats in the game, with Tshiebwe aiming to return next Tuesday when the ‘Cats take on Michigan State in the annual Champions Classic in Indianapolis. With Wheeler returning, the ‘Cats backcourt dynamic was something to watch throughout the game, along with Onyenso’s continued impact and development, and the ‘Cats three-point shooting, primarily Frederick and Reeves.

The starting lineup for the ‘Cats featured Cason Wallace, CJ Frederick, Chris Livingston, Jacob Toppin, and Lance Ware.

Game Recap:

The game scoring opened with a Kentucky turnover that led to a Duquesne transition layup. After a sloppy start, the ‘Cats got their first points of the game off a Frederick three-point shot, created by Toppin’s and Wallace’s hustle to get on the floor to gain possession and find the open Frederick. A 7-0 run by the Wildcats in just over a minute of game action saw the ‘Cats take the lead with a score of 7-3. Senior leader and PG Sahvir Wheeler made his return to the court with 14:30 left to play in the half. Wheeler made a quick impact in the game, showcasing his court vision and speed to create open opportunities for other ‘Cats. A spinning assist to Onyenso and another to Toppin brought the lead to 13-8 ‘Cats. Onyenso continued to make an impact on both ends of the court, scoring 6 points and collecting a block in his first 2 minutes of game action against Duquesne. A skying block by Wallace after a turnover keeps Kentucky’s lead at 23-15. Another sparkling Wheeler assist led to a corner three-pointer by Livingston to give Kentucky a 31-20 lead. The last 3 minutes of the half were highlighted by a Wallace three-pointer and a driving layup by Wheeler just before the halftime buzzer to give the ‘Cats a 38-22 halftime lead. The Dukes outrebounded the ‘Cats in the half 21-19, but were held to a 24% shooting in the first half (23% from three-point range). Kentucky shot 50% from the field and 63% from three-point range in the first half.

The second half started with a quick 4-0 run by the Dukes that led Coach Cal to take a quick timeout to regroup. A follow-up three-point make by the Dukes brought the ‘Cats lead to just 9 early in the second half. The ‘Cats first points come from a Onyenso layup, followed by a three-pointer by Frederick. The ‘Cats had a 44-29 lead with 15 minutes to play. With Kentucky’s offense going ice cold midway through the half, the lead was drawn to 46-35 with 11 minutes to play in the game. A driving and-one layup by Reeves broke the ‘Cats drought and ignited the offense. A Frederick corner three, created by Onyenso’s offensive rebounding ability, gave the ‘Cats a 53-35 lead. The offense was rolling with another Frederick three-point make and a long alley-oop dunk by Toppin. The ‘Cats had a 58-39 lead going into the under 8-minute media timeout. An offensive burst by both teams, featuring a three-pointer and driving transition layup by Wheeler, gave the ‘Cats a 67-44 lead with 3:24 left to play. Back-to-back three pointers by Reeves and Frederick finished out the game and gave Kentucky a 77-52 win over Duquesne.

Kentucky’s defense held Duquesne to 30% shooting in the game and 27% from three-point range. Kentucky shot 46% from the field and 58% from three (11 made threes). Kentucky outrebounded Duquesne 46-35, a stark turnaround from the first half. The leading scorer for the ‘Cats was Reeves with 18 points (4-6 from 3P), followed by Frederick with 14 points (4-7 from 3P) and Wheeler with 11 points. Wheeler also added a game high 11 assists to collect a double-double in the game (also added 6 rebounds). The leading rebounder for Kentucky was Onyesno with 11 boards (9 points and 3 blocks). Ware and Onyenso combined for 7 blocks. Toppin had a rough night shooting but finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 2 steals. The plus/minus leader in the game was Wheeler with a + 32. Reeves again came off the bench with success, finishing the game as the leading scorer. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Coach Cal continue to roll out the same starting lineup with Reeves and Onyenso thriving in their current roles, although the possible addition of Tshiebwe back into the rotation could shake things up a bit. The ’Cats have conquered their first two tests in the young season, with a big matchup against Michigan State on the horizon next Tuesday.

Kentucky will take on Michigan Sate Tuesday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the annual Champions Classic game. The game will be televised on ESPN.

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