LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Bellarmine Knights (2-6) stepped into Rupp Arena and made the Kentucky Wildcats (5-2) work from the start.
Bellarmine was the first on the board, holding the Wildcats scoreless for the first four minutes. Antonio Reeves grabbed an offensive rebound to score the first layup.
Kentucky struggled to find their rhythm committing seven turnovers before eventually tying the Knights at 10 points with 9:55 left in the first half.
The first time Kentucky took the lead was after a 3-pointer made by Sahvir Wheeler. The Cats then went on an 8-0 run with 3:37 left. Bellarmine responded with a 7-0 run to close out the half.
Going into the locker room, the score was 21-all, marking the lowest-scoring half for the Wildcats of the season. The Cats were 9-of-30 from the field and 2-of-11 from the 3-point line. The Cats also committed nine turnovers.
Reeves opened the second half for the Cats with a 3-point play, but Bellarmine quickly answered to tie at 24. The Wildcats eventually hit an 18-3 run to help stretch the lead, mainly led by 3-pointers from CJ Fredrick.
Reeves continued to shoot well, finishing with 18 points, making 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Fredrick followed with 11, shooting 3-of-7 from the three. Oscar Tshiebwe led rebounding with 12 and scored 8 points.
Overall shooting improved to 56.5% for the half. Twenty-eight points came from the paint. Kentucky outrebounded Bellarmine 42 to 21.
The Wildcats will play Michigan next on Sunday, December 4th in London, England.
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