Keion Brooks scored 22 points and freshman TyTy Washington Jr. added career highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds as No. 13 Kentucky closed strong to put away pesky Ohio 77-59 in Lexington, Ky. on Friday night.
The Wildcats (3-1) trailed for most of the first half, but snapped a 48-48 tie with 14:07 remaining with a 9-0 run and never looked back.
Davion Mintz added 12 points and nine rebounds and Sahvir Wheeler netted 11 points for Kentucky, which finished the game with a 29-11 run.
Ohio (3-1) got a team-high 19 points from Ben Vander Plas, but faltered down the stretch as the Bobcats hit just 4 of their last 17 shots. Jason Carter added 15 points and Mark Sears chipped in 10.
The nation’s leading rebounder, Oscar Tshiebwe, had zero rebounds in the first half but tallied 10 in the second half. Kentucky owned the glass to the tune of 53-17.
Ohio took its last lead at 46-44 on Vander Plas’ putback bucket, and tied it 48-48 on Carter’s score inside. Then Kentucky took over.
Brooks hit a baseline jumper, Wheeler added a floater, Washington hit a 3-pointer and Mintz capped the 9-0 surge with a fast-break dunk for a 57-48 lead with 11:45 remaining.
Kentucky struggled with Ohio throughout the first half, and led just 40-38 at the break. Carter scored seven points in the first four minutes, Tshiebwe picked up two fouls in the first 65 seconds and Ohio led by eight, 22-14, with 11 minutes left in the half.
But the Wildcats rattled off a 10-2 spurt, and tied it 24-24 with 8:11 left on a layup from Mintz.
Ohio went back in front on a Vander Plas 3-pointer, and led 38-34 with 3:37 left on another 3 from Vander Plas. But UK dialed in and forced seven straight Bobcat misses to end the half. Kentucky took the halftime lead on a pair of free throws from Mintz.
Vander Plas led all scorers at the break with 13 points, while Brooks led Kentucky with 12.
–Field Level Media
