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Lexington, KY 12-10-22
The ‘Cats made their way back to Kentucky after taking a trip to London, England to take on the Michigan Wolverines last Sunday. In that game, the ‘Cats had their best showing of the season, coming away with a momentum building 73-69 win. Freshman Cason Wallace paced the ‘Cats in the game, posting 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. The ‘Cats looked to build on that big win and returned to Rupp Arena Saturday afternoon to matchup against the Yale Bulldogs. The ‘Cats entered the game 6-2 on the season, while the Bulldogs entered the game with a strong 8-2 record for the year. In the latest NET rankings, the ‘Cats clocked in at No. 38 in the country, with Yale sitting at No. 47. A few keys to look for in the matchup against Yale were guard play in Wheeler and Wallace, three-point shot making ability, and keeping an offensive flow in the game. Yale’s leading scorer, Matt Knowling (16.2 PPG), was out for this game.
Coach Calipari continued to roll out his usual starting lineup of Wheeler, Wallace, Reeves, Toppin, and Tshiebwe for Saturdays game.
Game Recap:
Saturdays scoring started off with a quick Reeves floater for the ‘Cats. After trading baskets for the first 3 minutes to start the game, Wallace nailed the first three of the game in the corner that gave the ‘Cats a 9-6 lead at the first media timeout. Out of the media timeout, Wallace nailed another corner three to extend the lead to 12-6. After an offensive rebound from Tshiebwe, Reeves launched a deep three to push the lead to 15-6 as the ‘Cats started hot from beyond the arc, hitting three consecutive threes. The ‘Cats continued their hot start on the offensive end, hitting 5 of their next 6 field goals that gave the ‘Cats a 25-15 lead with 10-minutes left to play in the half. Wallace led the way in scoring for the ‘Cats to start the game with 8 early points. An 8-3 run by the Bulldogs brought the ‘Cats lead down to 5 with a score of 28-23. Livingston played very well in the first half, scoring 7 points in 8 minutes. Stagnant offense by both the ‘Cats and the Bulldogs ensued for the next 5-minutes of action. The score with 2:23 to play in the half was 29-25 ‘Cats. A couple baskets by Tshiebwe and Wheeler to end the half left the score at 33-27 Kentucky at halftime. The ‘Cats made just 2 of their last 12 field goal attempts to end the half, while Yale saw a stretch where their offense went 1 of their last 8 on field goals. Even with the cold shooting display to end the half, the ‘Cats shot 41% from the field in the half and 50% from three-point range. The ‘Cats defense held Yale to 40% shooting in the half and 18% from three. Wallace finished the half with 8 points to lead the way for the ‘Cats while Tshiebwe posted 6 points and 8 rebounds in the first half.
The second half scoring started with consecutive Yale three-pointers to tie the game at 33 with 18:34 to plat in the game. After the Bulldogs took their first lead of the game at 35-33, Tshiebwe began his second half takeover. Oscar immediately responded with 7 unanswered points to bring the ‘Cats back in front 40-35. Tshiebwe continued his offensive tear, scoring 12 consecutive points for the ‘Cats in a run that was eventually ended by a Wheeler driving layup that brought the ‘Cats lead to 47-40. With the ‘Cats running their offense through Tshiebwe nearly every possession, Kentucky took a 57-47 lead. The score at the under 8-minute media timeout was 57-50 ‘Cats. Kentucky continued their offensive execution down the stretch, displaying good ball movement and action that brought the lead to 67-55 at the under 4-minute media timeout. Much like the end of the fist half, the ‘Cats offense went cold again to end the game as the ‘Cats finished the game with a 3:02 scoring drought. The ‘Cats defense continued to play well to end the game, however, and the ‘Cats went on to win 69-59 over the Yale Bulldogs.
That strong ‘Cats defense held the Bulldogs to just 43% shooting for the game (41% from three). The ‘Cats offense finished 50% shooting form the field and 36% from beyond the arc. Tshiebwe and the ‘Cats outrebounded Yale 31-30 in the game. Tshiebwe scored 22 second half points and finished with 28 points to lead the way for the ‘Cats. Oscar also added in 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Wheeler and Reeves were the only other ‘Cats in double figures with 10 points each. Toppin dished out 4 assists to lead the way in assists for the ‘Cats. Toppin was also the plus/minus leader with a +14 in 31 minutes of action.
The ’Cats head to Madison Square Garden for their next game as they take on UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. The game will be played on Saturday, December 17 and will tipoff around 5:15 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS.
