Backcourt injuries and fatigue left No. 5 Kentucky trailing early in the second half before a 3-point shooting run jump-started the Wildcats to a 78-67 nonconference victory over a feisty Colgate squad on Wednesday in Lexington, Ky.
With point guards Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa sidelined by injuries, Kentucky (9-1) shot 4-for-15 from 3-point range in the opening stanza and led Colgate just 38-36 at halftime before heating up later.
Koby Brea was a bright spot on a relatively poor shooting night by Kentucky, as the Dayton transfer scored 17 points, going 5-for-8 on 3-point attempts. Amari Williams added 15 points and eight rebounds. Otega Oweh notched 15 points, while Jaxson Robinson chipped in 11 and Andrew Carr posted 11 points and 10 boards.
Colgate (2-9) has struggled, showing little in common with coach Matt Langel’s squads that reached the last four NCAA Tournaments. However, the Raiders connected on eight 3-point tries in the first half and held a 45-42 lead early in the second half.
Parker Jones managed 17 points, including four 3-point buckets, one of which pulled Colgate within two to end the first half. Brady Cummins and Jalen Cox (eight assists) each added 10 points for the Raiders.
Kentucky ran off a 16-2 rally to counter a three-point Colgate lead and claim a 58-47 edge with 12:58 to play. Kentucky had made only four 3-point shots to that point, but connected on four consecutive 3-point tries in the run. Robinson canned a pair of treys, followed by one each from Trent Noah and Oweh.
Kentucky opened the game on a 17-0 run and seemed headed for a runaway victory. But the hosts’ lack of depth surfaced and a sticky Colgate team hung around, aided by its own 11-0 spurt to cut the deficit to 17-11. Colgate pulled within two on three occasions late in the first half and jumped to a 45-42 edge with 17:30 to play on a jump shot from Jones.
Kentucky’s next game is Saturday against rival Louisville. Colgate will host Vermont on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
