Content by – Graham Shepherd for
SPORTS VIEW AMERICA … Please check us out on X , INSTAGRAM, & FACEBOOK … Photo Galleries at Facebook.com/SportsViewAmerica & SVA PHOTOS … (Photos by Brian Wood)
12-9-25 – Rupp Arena
The ‘Cats defeated the North Carolina Central Eagles by a score of 103-67 on Tuesday night in Rupp Arena. In front of a lackluster crowd, the ‘Cats got off to a slow start in the game, leading just 14-10 just over 7-minutes into the game. Head Coach Mark Pope went on to make loud statements with lineup management in the game. Trent Noah started the game over Kam Williams. Lowe and Williams did not play in the first half and did not enter until just over midway through the second half. Garrison was benched due to lack of effort in the first half and did not play in the second half. Freshman Guard Jasper Johnson had his best game as a ‘Cat on Tuesday night, contributing a game-high 22-points in the game in just 19-minutes of action. Oweh also had his best scoring output of the season, adding 21-points and 7-rebounds. The ‘Cats outrebounded the Eagles by 10 (36 to 26) and assisted on 27 of 39 baskets in the game, improving their quality passing and scoring opportunities throughout the game. The ‘Cats played well for the last 30 minutes in the game and will look to gain some momentum heading into a home matchup against long-time rival Indiana on Saturday in Lexington.
Pre-Game Overview:
The starting lineup for the ‘Cats featured Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh, Trent Noah, and Malachi Moreno.
The spread for Tuesday nights game was -42.5 (Kentucky) and the Over/Under was set at 148.5.
Game Recap:
First Half
The ‘Cats won the tip and Noah connected on an open three to begin the game scoring. Chandler drove the ball on the next possession and scored at the rim for a quick 5-0 lead. Aberdeen missed an open three for the ‘Cats. Moreno was called for an offensive foul off a moving screen. Chandler air-balled a three point step-back but the ‘Cats got the possession back on the next defensive possession. Noah found Chandler, who missed the open three but gathered the offensive rebound and foun Oweh for a three. The Eagles answered with a three. Moreno missed an open shot in the pain and the Eagles scored again to make it 8-7 ‘Cats. Moreno then answered with a good post move and a dunk. Aberdeen scored on a drive to the basket out of the first media timeout to give Kentucky a 12-7 lead. Oweh stole the ball and scored on a running hook in the paint. Garrison turned the ball over then left his man open for a three. Garrison missed a three then Johnson responded with a bad three in transition. Chandler found Garrison in transition, who was fouled. Kentucky led 14-10 at the under 12-minute media timeout. Garrison made both free-throws. Lattimore scored over Garrison at the rim on the other end. Johnson scored on a drive to the rim. After a quick missed three from the Eagles, the ‘Cats found Johnson in the corner for a missed three but was fouled on the shot. Johnson hit all three free-throws at the line. The Eagles nailed a three after an offensive board, Aberdeen answered with a slam on the offensive end. Garrison backed his way down to the rim and scored with an and-one opportunity. The ‘Cats led 26-15 after the free-throw. Jelavic nailed a corner three off a pass from Garrison. The ‘Cats turned it over once again and allowed a quick transition score. The ‘Cats led 29-21 with 8:06-minutes to play in the half. Aberdeen made a good defensive stop then Jelavic found him in the outlet to score at the rim. Aberdeen drove and found Moreno for a score. Oweh nailed a three in transition for a 36-23 ‘Cats lead. Johnson was fouled on a transition take to the basket and made both free-throws. Moreno cleaned up a Noah miss for a putback score. Noah then connected on a corner three for Kentucky. Chandler found Noah streaking down the court for a slam in transition. Oweh stole the pass again and scored in transition and was fouled on the play. Kentucky led 47-23 with 3:41-minutes to play in the half. The ‘Cats broke a zone defense with Oweh in the lane who turned and scored at the rim. The Eagles nailed a corner three to make it 49-29 ‘Cats. Noah answered with another corner three. The ‘Cats failed to score at the end of the first half and took a 52-31 halftime lead into the locker room.
The ‘Cats shot 59% from the field in the first half and 43% (6 of 14) from beyond the arc. The ‘Cats had 12 assists on 19 field goals and slightly outrebounded the Eagles 18 to 16. Oweh led the ‘Cats in scoring with 12-points and Noah added 11-points with 3 first half three-pointers. Oweh also led the team with 6-rebounds in the half. Kam Williams and Jaland Lowe did not play in the first half. Overall, the energy on the court was improved from the majority of players on the court. One key moment was between Garrison and Pope, where Pope med Garrison on the court after a lack of effort that led to NC Central points. The ‘Cats will look to build on their team effort and energy in the second half.
Halftime: Kentucky 52 – North Carolina Central 31
Second Half
The Eagles scored to begin the second half on a deep jumper inside the arc. Moreno slammed home the ‘Cats first points off an Aberdeen assist. Chandler missed a three but got the possession back on a steal and Oweh scored at the rim. Aberdeen drove and scored then Moreno banged his way to the paint and scored at the rim for a 60-35 ‘Cats lead. Chandler was fouled and hit both free-throws at the line. The ‘Cats lost their focus defensively and gave up back-to-back buckets. Aberdeen missed a three but Oweh flew in for a powerful putback slam. The ‘Cats led 64-44 at the under 16-minute media timeout. Johnson stole a pass and Oweh nailed a three at the top of the key. Lowe entered for the first time for the ‘Cats. Johnson was fouled on a three-point shot. Johnson hit all three free-throws for Kentucky. Noah collected an offensive board and completed an alley-oop pass to Moreno. Kentucky led 72-48 with 11:49-minutes to play in the game. Johnson scored at the rim then nailed a three on the next possession for Kentucky. Lowe found Chandler across the court for an open three in transition. Williams missed an open three for the ‘Cats and Johnson picked up a foul away from the basket on the defensive end. Johnson pumped fake a three then nailed a deep two-point jumper. Jelavic collected a offensive board and scored. Oweh broke the zone with a good pass to Williams who dunked it home. Jelavic nailed a three after a Chandler turnover and Eagles score. Williams stole the ball and Jelavic scored for the ‘Cats in transition. Oweh then stole a pass and dunked it in transition. Kentucky led 93-60 with 4:15-minutes to play. A well-executed offensive play allowed Chandler to find a wide-open Moreno for a score. Johnson drove and scored again at the rim. Johnson nailed a deep three at the shot-clock buzzer for the ‘Cats. The ‘Cats found Tow in the corner for a open shot that he nailed as Rupp Arena erupted. The ‘Cats went on to win by a score of 103-67.
Final: Kentucky 103 – North Carolina Central 67
Game Stats:
North Carolina Central FG %: 42% (32% 3PT – 6 of 19) (76% FT – 13 of 17)
Kentucky FG %: 61% (41% 3PT – 12 of 29) (93% FT – 13 of 14)
Rebounds: 36 – 26 Kentucky
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 27:9
Turnovers: UK (9), North Carolina Central (13)
Bench Points: 42 – 24 Kentucky
Points off Turnovers: 27 – 13 Kentucky
Fast Break Points: 34 – 15 Kentucky
Paint Points: 52 – 30 Kentucky
Player Stats:
Jasper Johnson – [(22 points) (2 rebounds) (2 assists)] led team in +/- with +30 in 19-min.
Otega Oweh – [(21 points) (7 rebounds) (1 assist) (1 block) (4 steals)]
Malachi Moreno – [(14 points) (7 rebounds) (2 blocks)]
Trent Noah – [(11 points) (6 rebounds) (3 assists) (1 steal)]
Andrija Jelavic – [(10 points) (3 rebounds) (1 steal)]
Denzel Aberdeen – [(8 points) (2 rebounds) (5 assists) (1 block) (1 steal)]
Collin Chandler – [(7 points) (5 rebounds) (8 assists) (1 steal)]
Brandon Garrison – [(5 points) (2 assists) (1 steal)]
Zach Tow – [(3 points)]
Kam Williams – [(2 points) (3 rebounds) (3 assists) (1 block)]
Jaland Lowe – [(2 assists)]
Walker Horn – [(1 assist)]
Next Game:
The Kentucky Wildcats (6-4, 0-0 SEC) will return to Lexington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (7-2) on Saturday, December 13 at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on ESPN.
