Oscar Tshiebwe collected a career-high 24 points, to go with 16 rebounds and three blocks to fuel No. 13 Kentucky to an 80-55 victory over visiting Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday in Lexington, Ky.
Tshiebwe made 11 of 14 shots from the floor to help pave the way for his third consecutive double-double to start the season. His point total surpassed his previous best of 21, set when he played for West Virginia in a win over Boston University on Nov. 22, 2019.
TyTy Washington scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half and Sahvir Wheeler added 12 points and eight assists. Washington made 7 of 12 shots and Wheeler sank 6 of 11 attempts from the floor for the Wildcats (2-1), who shot a robust 53.1 percent for the game (34 of 64).
Keion Brooks Jr. recorded 10 points and seven rebounds to send Kentucky to a second straight win following its 79-71 loss to Duke on Nov. 9.
Josh Reaves and Jalen Benjamin each scored 11 points and Dakota Leffew added 10 off the bench for the Mountaineers (1-3), who have lost two in a row. Reaves made three of his team’s six 3-pointers.
The Wildcats scored nine of 11 points to end the first half before beginning the second by scoring 30 of the first 40 points to take a 68-37 lead. Kellan Grady sank a pair of 3-pointers in that run.
Benjamin drained a jumper to trim Kentucky’s lead to 16-15 before the Wildcats turned on the jets. Washington answered by making his first 3-pointer of the season and Brooks converted a pair of layups to ignite his team’s 13-5 run.
Benjamin sank a 3-pointer and Malik Jefferson added a layup to bring Mount St. Mary’s within four before Kentucky went on another run. Washington converted from beyond the arc for the second time in the half to cap a 9-2 run, giving the Wildcats a 38-27 lead at intermission.
–Field Level Media
