Lexington, Ky (LEX 18) – Kentucky used a strong second half effort to take down UNCG 78-61 for its seventh straight win Saturday at Rupp Arena.
Reid Travis finished with his first career double-double as a Wildcat with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Keldon Johnson also had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wildcats closed the second half strong on their way to a 17 point win. Tyler Herro had some big shots down the stretch to put the nail in the coffin. Herro finished with 18 points.
2nd Half
The back an-forth continued throughout the second half. UNCG led for a majority of the time.
Then a couple of big plays by Ashton Hagans and Reid Travis gout Big Blue Nation on its feet, giving UK a 58-57 lead with 7:25 to play.
The Cats kept the momentum going, with Keldon Johnson throwing down some emphatic dunks, followed by a couple of buckets from Tyler Herro. UK had a 68-59 lead with 3:45 to play.
Herro would come up with a couple of more big plays offensively, closing the door on the Spartans and giving UK its seventh straight victory.
1st Half
UNCG holds a 40-37 lead over Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
Francis Alonso off to a quick start for UNCG, hitting his first 4 shots and had 11 of the teams’ first 13 points.
UK spreading the ball around early, assisting on four of their first four made shots
The Wildcats didn’t take the lead until midway through the half, going on a 10-0 run after not scoring the previous two and a half minutes. They pushed their lead to 23-17.
Spartans would put a quick 5-0 run together to cut the deficit to 29-27 with 6 minutes left in the half.
With 3 minutes to play, Keldon Johnson came down awkwardly and was helped off of the floor, favoring his left leg. He would later return to the bench under his own power.
Alonso stays hot from beyond the arc, finishing the half with 19 points. Reid Travis leads the way for UK with 10 points, while EJ Montgomery is closely behind with 8 points.
