Otega Oweh scored 18 points and Andrew Carr finished with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead host Kentucky to an 87-68 victory over Western Kentucky on Tuesday night in Lexington, Ky.
The No. 8 Wildcats (6-0) remained unbeaten and improved upon their best start in eight years by surviving a tough battle with the visiting Hilltoppers (3-3), who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Although Kentucky led for most of the game after trailing 5-2 in the opening moments, Western Kentucky kept it to a single-digit deficit for parts of the second half.
Julius Thedford’s fastbreak bucket and foul shot with 11:54 remaining cut Kentucky’s lead to 57-51. But the Wildcats used a 14-4 surge over the next three minutes and 25 seconds to begin to pull away.
Thedford led Western Kentucky with 18 points and five rebounds while Babacar Faye had 16 points, six rebounds and two steals before fouling out.
Kentucky had trouble from time to time with the Hilltoppers’ fast-paced style, which led to 23 fastbreak points. But the Wildcats won an aggressive battle in the paint and on the glass, outrebounding the Hilltoppers 54-41 and 16-12 on offensive boards.
Amari Williams assisted that effort by collecting 10 rebounds to go along with eight points as five Wildcats totaled five or more rebounds.
The Hilltoppers tried to be physical throughout the game with Kentucky’s guards to try and limit their production. Although Kentucky finished 10 points under its season scoring average so far, it still had three players score in double figures as Lamont Butler finished with 14 points.
The Wildcats’ defense contributed to a rough night from long distance for Western Kentucky, which shot 4 for 26 from 3-point range. Kentucky went 8 for 29 from 3-point range and shot 40.3 percent overall.
Enoch Kalambay was key for the Hilltoppers in the paint as he totaled 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Wildcats were up as many as 16 points in the first half before going into the locker room leading 45-33.
–Field Level Media
