No. 17 Kentucky remains without three point guards due to injury, but a patchwork lineup led by junior Otega Oweh and senior Amari Williams held off Vanderbilt 82-61 in SEC play Wednesday night in Lexington, Ky.
The duo combined for 37 points and helped Kentucky turn a one-point halftime advantage into a comfortable victory.
Kentucky (18-8, 7-6 SEC) connected on 58 percent of its shots, including 65.4 percent (17-for-26) in the second half to preserve the victory. The Wildcats were also perfect from the foul line, connecting on all 13 attempts.
Kentucky led 41-40 at the half and held a 47-44 edge with 16:13 to play when the Wildcats pulled away. A pair of baskets in the paint by Williams, a jumper from Andrew Carr, and 3-point bombs from Carr and Koby Brea stretched UK’s edge to 59-46 in the ensuing four minutes. Vanderbilt never pulled closer than 10 points after that pivotal run.
Oweh continued his streak of double-digit scoring in every game at UK with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting and seven rebounds. Williams added 17 points, connecting on all six attempts from the floor and all five from the foul line, while grabbing six boards and blocking four shots. Brea added 12 points and Carr notched 11 in his return to the starting lineup following a back injury that kept him out of Kentucky’s loss Jan. 25 at Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt (17-9, 5-8) likely damaged its NCAA Tournament bubble status with the defeat. The Commodores shot just 8-for-27 (29.6 percent) in the second half and couldn’t withstand Kentucky’s post-intermission barrage of baskets.
Vanderbilt was led by Devin McGlockton’s 14 points and 10 rebounds. Leading scorer Jason Edwards had 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting and Jaylen Carey added 12 points off the bench.
Kentucky’s next game is Saturday at No. 4 Alabama. The Commodores host No. 24 Ole Miss on Saturday. That will be a fourth consecutive game against a ranked opponent for Vandy. Texas A&M and Missouri will likely extend that streak to six consecutive games.
–Field Level Media
