As teammate Kellan Grady strung together long jumpers, Oscar Tshiebwe outrebounded Western Kentucky all by himself on a record-breaking night that supplanted Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.
Grady made six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 23 points, Tshiebwe grabbed a Rupp Arena-record 28 rebounds and No. 20 Kentucky used an 18-2 second-half run to blow out the Hilltoppers 95-60 on Wednesday.
”Coach wanted me to shoot, my teammates (were) pressing me to shoot the ball and make shots,” said Grady, who struggled from outside just a few games ago. ”And ultimately, I believed in myself as well.”
TyTy Washington Jr. added 20 points and Jacob Toppin scored 12 as the Wildcats (9-2) routed their second consecutive substitute opponent. The in-state Hilltoppers (8-5) were added Monday after the postponement of Kentucky’s scheduled matchup against archrival Louisville because of positive COVID-19 tests within the Cardinals’ program. The Wildcats thumped North Carolina 98-69 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Kentucky coach John Calipari wasn’t shy with his praise.
