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The ‘Cats defeated the Bellarmine Knights in a Christmas Eve Eve matchup on Tuesday afternoon at Rupp Arena by a score of 99-85. The ‘Cats were led on offensive by a hot shooting Kam Williams with 26-points. Williams went 8 of 10 from the three-point line in the game. Dioubate also added 20-points in the game. Oweh contributed in every facet of the game, finishing with 10-points, 10-assists and 8-rebounds in the game in a close triple-double. Overall, the ‘Cats had an outstanding offensive performance, shooting 59% from the field and connecting on 16 of 30 threes in the game for 53% from beyond the arc. The ‘Cats also distributed the ball well, assisting on 24 of 33 field goals. It was a slight step-back on the defensive end for the ‘Cats, who allowed Bellarmine to shoot 52% from the field and put up 85 points in the game. Quaintance played just 8-minutes in the game as he continues to ease his way into the rotation. Garrison injured his knee during the game and was ruled out in the second half and Jaland Lower did not play due to his recurrent right shoulder injury. The ‘Cats look to continue to regain health heading into the middle part of the season. It was a nice final tune-up for the ‘Cats as they look to begin SEC play after the New Year, when they take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Pre-Game Overview:
The starting lineup for the ‘Cats featured Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh, Mouhamed Dioubate, and Malachi Moreno.
The spread for Tuesday afternoons game was -34.5 (Kentucky) and the Over/Under was set at 152.5.
Game Recap:
First Half
The Knights won the tip and the ‘Cats forced a turnover on the first defensive possession of the game. Oweh got the ball in the pain and was fouled on a shooting attempt. Oweh hit 1 of 2 free-throws at the line. Aberdeen was called for a shooting foul on the other end. Karasinski hit both free-throws. Oweh turned it over with the Knights going into a 3-2 zone but Moreno gave it right back with another turnover on the other end. Karasinski then nailed a three at the top of the key. Aberdeen nailed a three in response to make the score 5-4 Bellarmine. Dioubate and Oweh picked up offensive boards on missed threes for Kentucky and Oweh scored at the rim. Oweh took a transition take and found Aberdeen in the corner for another three. Aberdeen picked up his second foul heading into the 16-minute media timeout with the ‘Cats leading 9-5. Bellarmine tied the game at 9 but Chandler nailed a wide-open three to give the ‘Cats the lead. Dioubate connected on a layup after Bellarmine shifted their way to a score. Bellarmine again responded with a nice basket from Wilson. Bellarmine took the lead on a Kentucky turnover and transition score. Quaintance scored his first basket in Rupp Arena on a layup. Quaintance was fouled and made 1 of 2 at the line. Waddell tied the game at 17 and Johnson found a cutting Noah for an easy score for the ‘Cats. Johnson found a wide-open Noah for a three that he missed in the corner. Karasinski returned to the line and hit both free-throws. Johnson nailed a three on the other end for Kentucky. Jelavic picked up an offensive board and put it back in for a score. Johnson drove and split the lane for a score. Kentucky led 26-24 with 7:23-minutes to play in the half. Williams nailed a rhythm three in a half-court set for the ‘Cats out of the break. Williams dialed up another three as he was left open with no defenders nearby. Dioubate scored through contact for an and-one opportunity. He converted the free-throw for a 35-28 Kentucky lead. Bellarmine continued to shoot the ball well and converted a couple of threes to make the score 39-34 ‘Cats. Dioubate again muscled his way to a score in the paint. Bellarmine answered with a score from Wilson at the rim. Johnson found a souring Oweh for an alley-oop slam. Johnson created his own shot and nailed a spin-move step-back three with 3-seconds left in the half to give the ‘Cats a 46-38 halftime lead.
Overall, it was a well-played first half from both teams. The ‘Cats shot 55% from the field and 44% from three (7 of 16) and the Knights shot 52% from the field and 50% (4 of 8) from beyond the arc. Johnson and Williams led the ‘Cats in scoring with 8-points each. Oweh and Dioubate each added 7-points in the half. Karasinski led all scorers with 14-points in the half. Quaintance played just 5-minutes in the half and scored 3-points and added 2 rebounds. The ‘Cats committed 8 turnovers but forced 9 takeaways and assisted on 10 of 16 field goals in the half.
Halftime: Kentucky 46 – Bellarmine 38
Second Half
The ‘Cats opened the second half scoring with a slam from Dioubate. Oweh hit 1 of 2 from the line after a foul and Waddell scored for the Knights to make it 49-40 Kentucky. Aberdeen dribbled his way to a paint score. The ‘Cats scored via a Dioubate lay in and Chandler off a drive to the bucket. Wilson drove and scored through a foul. The ‘Cats led 54-45 after the free-throw. Aberdeen nailed a three for the ‘Cats. Kentucky led 57-45 with 15:25-minutes to play in the game. Johnson nailed a wide-open corner three for the ‘Cats out of the timeout. Dioubate fought through a defender to score with the foul. Dioubate again scored and the ‘Cats grew their lead to 15 at 64-49. Bellarmine nailed a three to bring the score to 64-54. Quaintance was fouled and went to the line and hit 1 of 2. Williams nailed a deep three for the ‘Cats without hesitation following a Bellarmine score. The ‘Cats led 68-56 at the under 12-minute media timeout. Williams nailed another deep deep three for the ‘Cats to push the score to 71-56 Kentucky. The ‘Cats got out in transition and found Williams again for a quick corner three. The ‘Cats led 76-61 with 8:05-minutes to play. Moreno collected an entry pass and slammed home his first basket of the day. Williams settled in the corner and again nailed a three. The Knights nailed consecutive threes. Aberdeen dribbled into a three to make the score 89-73 ‘Cats. Williams again answered a Bellarmine score with his 7th three of the game, again from the corner. Bellarmine again converted an and-one chance in the paint. Aberdeen fouled Bolden in the paint, who went to the line for 2 shots. Dioubate collected an offensive board and scored for the ‘Cats. The Knights again left Williams open in the corner and he nailed another corner three. Dioubate converted a spin move score in the paint. The ‘Cats went on to win by a score of 99-85.
Final: Kentucky 99 – Bellarmine 85
Game Stats:
Bellarmine FG %: 52% (37% 3PT – 7 of 19) (87% FT – 26 of 30)
Kentucky FG %: 59% (53% 3PT – 16 of 30) (71% FT – 17 of 24)
Rebounds: 29 – 26 Kentucky
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 24:10
Turnovers: UK (10), Bellarmine (12)
Bench Points: 45 – 31 Kentucky
Points off Turnovers: 19 – 18 Kentucky
Fast Break Points: 19 – 9 Kentucky
Paint Points: 38 – 34 Bellarmine
Player Stats:
Kam Williams – [(26 points) (1 rebound) (1 steal)]
Mouhamed Dioubate – [(20 points) (5 rebounds) (3 blocks) (2 steals)]
Denzel Aberdeen – [(14 points) (2 rebounds) (4 assists)]
Jasper Johnson – [(11 points) (3 rebounds) (7 assists) (1 block)]
Otega Oweh – [(10 points) (8 rebounds) (10 assists) (2 steals)]
Malachi Moreno – [(6 points) (3 rebounds)]
Jayden Quaintance – [(4 points) (2 rebounds)]
Collin Chandler – [(4 points) (2 rebounds) (3 assists) (2 steals)]
Trent Noah – [(2 points) (1 rebound)]
Andrija Jelavic – [(2 points) (1 rebound) (1 block)]
Brandon Garrison – [(1 rebound) (1 steal)]
Jaland Lowe – DNP (R Shoulder)
Next Game:
The Kentucky Wildcats (9-4, 0-0 SEC) will tip off SEC play after the Christmas and New Years break and head to Tuscaloosa to take on the No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3, 0-0 SEC) on Saturday, January 3 in Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Happy Holidays from Sports View America!
