LEXINGTON, Ky. — If you only looked at the final score, 81-61, you may think the No. 16 Kentucky basketball team cruised to the 20-point victory over Texas A&M-Commerce.
It didn't start that way.
Blink and you may have missed it: the Lions jumped out to an 8-0 lead before the Wildcats had even started to find their footing. After the Lions sank their second consecutive three-pointer, Calipari called a timeout to settle his team.
It didn't happen all at once, but Kentucky slowly went to work. Despite the Lions sinking four three-pointers in the game's opening five minutes and being up by as many as 13 points, the Cats soon found their own offense.
An 11-1 run interrupted solely by a single Lion free throw gave the Cats their first lead of the game, 25-24, with 7:35 to play in the half.
Kentucky never surrendered the lead again.
The Cats closed out the half on a 30-9 run, complete with three consecutive three-pointers out of the hands of Antonio Reeves. He had a game-high 13 points at the break.
Mitchell sent both teams to the locker room with a block that sent the ball flying into the student section. Kentucky led 38-30.
.@tre_mitch33 sends it into the Erupption Zone. pic.twitter.com/zwNUbCsmL5
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 11, 2023
Dillingham led the way for the Cats out of halftime with a few quick buckets. The Cats used his momentum to fire off another run, this time to the tune of a 9-0 advantage.
By then, Kentucky had built a significant lead, brick-by-brick. The Wildcats were up by 15 points, and they never looked back.
.@Jedwards3_ going wayyy 🆙 pic.twitter.com/Zz8Rib8t3Y
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 11, 2023
Reeves finished with a game-high 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep. Mitchell added 18 points and eight rebounds; Justin Edwards scored 16 points to go along with seven boards.
With the win, the Cats move to 2-0 to start the season, while the Lions fall to 0-3.
REED for 3️⃣, @reed_sheppard. pic.twitter.com/0f79pZN65l
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 11, 2023
No. 16 Kentucky will take on No. 1 Kansas in the upcoming Champion's Classic, this Tuesday in Chicago. Tipoff is slated for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
LEX 18 Sports and BBN Tonight are making the trip to the Windy City. Tune in Monday and Tuesday for the latest on all things Wildcats vs. Jayhawks.
