No. 23 Kentucky men’s basketball defeated Bucknell by a score of 100-72 on Saturday evening inside of Rupp Arena.
UK rolled out with the same starting lineup that it had in its season opener against Wright State consisting of Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams.
The Cats won the opening tip, which was followed by two missed 3-pointers and one missed layup on the opening possession. It wasn’t until the next drive down that Williams kicked off the scoring by going one-for-two from the free-throw line.
Bucknell got itself on the board moments after when Josh Bascoe nailed a 3-pointer from the corner, giving the Bison a 3-1 lead.
Funded by a quick five points from Robinson, Kentucky responded by going on a 9-0 run before the first media timeout of the game. Robinson went on to finish the game with 14 points.
By the halfway point in the first half, Kentucky led 25-11, yet it slightly struggled to land the three ball, which has been uncharacteristic up to this point. However, it managed to find ways to the rim and finish off its drives, exemplifying that it is more than just a three-point team.
Kentucky found itself in the midst of a minor hiccup with 4:54 remaining in the half as it missed its last six field goals while Bucknell was able to grab five of its own points in that time.
After a timeout by Mark Pope, UK was able to get back on track and closed out the half with a 16-point, 47-31 lead while shooting 19-42 (45.2%) from the field.
Out of the break, Andrew Carr kicked things off for the Cats, finishing a second-chance layup at the rim. He went on to conclude the contest with 11 points while also helping out with three rebounds.
Just three minutes into the second half, Koby Brea checked in for Oweh and nailed a triple, solidifying a 55-38 lead. Brea, who scored 18 points in UK’s season opener, finished Saturday’s contest with 20 points while shooting 7-11 (63%) from the field and 6-8 (75%) from deep.
The Cats were able to reach the 70-point mark with a long 11:23 left to go in the game.
UK was bitten by another small drought in the second half, failing to convert on four straight possessions, but, on the fifth one, Butler landed a layup, restarting the Cats’ momentum.
The Cats just reached 100 points with 23.1 to go in the game after Brandon Garrison sank two free-throws.
Kentucky is back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Atlanta, Georgia, as the Cats will face off against No. 7 Duke at 9:00 p.m. in the StateFarm Champions Classic.
