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Jacob Toppin ties a career-high against Gonzaga plus Boxscore and other Game Notes

Jacob Toppin got hot with the mid-range jumper in the second half against Gonzaga and tied his career high at Kentucky with 16 points.

 

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MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
SPOKANE ARENA | SPOKANE, WASH.

NOV. 20, 2022

ATTENDANCE: 12,333

Final Score: No. 2 88, No. 4 Kentucky 72

Team Records and Series Notes

  • Kentucky is 3-2, Gonzaga is 3-1.
  • The series is tied, 1-1.  The previous matchup was an 80-72 Kentucky win on Nov. 27, 2002, in Maui, Hawaii.
  • Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats return home after the game and will seek to extend its 22-game home win streak Wednesday vs. North Florida.  Game time is 4 p.m. and it can be seen on SEC Network+.  

Team Notes

  • Since the inception of the Associated Press rankings, Kentucky has an all-time record of 38-23 vs. top-five matchups (both teams in top five), including 24-13 in regular-season matchups and 7-5 in top-five road matchups.

Player Notes  

  • collected 20 points and 15 rebounds, his second 20-15 game of the season and ninth in his two seasons as a Wildcat. 
    • In addition to making 7 of 12 from the field, he was a perfect 6 of 6 at the foul line.
  • got hot with the mid-range jumper in the second half and tied his career high with 16 points.
  • Freshman had 14 points, two assists and four steals.
    • Wallace entered the weekend as the only player in the nation with at least 20 assists and 12 steals.
  • had 10 points, his fourth double-figure game this season.   

 Coach

  • Calipari has a 4-1 record vs. Gonzaga.
  • Calipari has an 813-243 all-time on-court record and a 368-103 mark in his 14th season at .
  • UK is 67-45 against Associated Press-ranked competition under Calipari, including 13-13 vs. top-five teams.  Calipari is 7-5 at UK when both teams are ranked in the top five.

In the First Half

  • Kentucky started the combination of , Cason Wallace, , Jacob Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe for the first time this season.
  • Lance Ware was UK’s first substitute at the 16:29 mark.
  • Gonzaga led all the way, as the Bulldogs got the game’s first eight points before Tshiebwe got UK on the board with a layup at 17:33.
  • Ahead 10-6, Gonzaga’s 9-0 run put UK in its then-largest deficit of the season, 19-6.
  • Later in the half, GU’s 8-0 spurt gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the half at 39-21.
  • Gonzaga went to halftime ahead 41-25 as UK shot only 25 percent (8 of 32), including 0 of 11 on 3-pointers. Tshiebwe’s 14 points and seven rebounds led the Wildcats.

In the Second Half

  • Kentucky began the second half with Wheeler, Fredrick, Wallace, Toppin and Tshiebwe.
  • Gonzaga got the first basket, but a 14-4 Kentucky run got the Wildcats within 47-39, coaxing a Bulldog timeout at 14:26.
  • Back-to-back threes by Wallace and Reeves narrowed the gap to 49-45.
  • UK was within 61-55 when a 7-0 GU spurt gave the home team a 68-55 cushion and the Wildcats got no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
  • Gonzaga stretched the lead to 19 at 88-69 before a UK 3-pointer settled the final score.
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Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.

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