Antonio Reeves scores 14 of his 18 in the second half plus Boxscore and Other Game Notes

 

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KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY

NOV. 29, 2022
ATTENDANCE: 19,092

 Final Score: No. 19/18 Kentucky 60, Bellarmine 41

 Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is now 5-2 on the season, Bellarmine is 2-6.
• This was the first meeting between the teams.
• Next for UK: on Wednesday, the Wildcats fly to London, England in anticipation of Sunday’s Hall of Fame Game vs. Michigan. Game time is 1 p.m. ET and it will be televised by ABC.

Team Notes

• Kentucky limited Bellarmine to 41 points, fewest for a UK opponent since the 78-39 win over West Virginia in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
  • Bellarmine scored 21 and 20 points in the two halves, which are UK’s two best defensive halves of the season.
  • UK is now 85-0 under Calipari when keeping the opponent to 55 points or less. 
  • UK is 207-9 (95.8%) under Calipari when keeping the opponent to 63 points or less, including 5-0 this season.
• Kentucky limited Bellarmine to 30.4% from the field. UK is 226-24 (90.4%) under Calipari when keeping the opponent to 40 percent or less shooting, including 5-0 this season.
• Kentucky led by as many as 20 points. UK is 314-13 (96.0%) under Calipari when leading by as many as 10 points at any time in the contest. 
• UK used its size advantage to dominate the rebounding, 42-21, and points in the paint, 28-8.

Player Notes  

• Antonio Reeves had 14 of his 18 points in the second half.
  • He has landed in double-figure scoring in six of the seven games this season.
  • He has made at least one 3-pointer in each game this season.
• Jacob Toppin scored all 12 of his points in the second half and had five rebounds.
• CJ Fredrick tossed in 11 points, eight in the second half.
• Oscar Tshiebwe collected eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds, adding three blocked shots and two steals.
• Sahvir Wheeler had six points and a game-high six assists.

Coach John Calipari

• This was Calipari’s first game vs. Bellarmine.
• During his time at UK, Calipari has a 23-3 record against in-state foes.
• Calipari has an 815-243 all-time on-court record and a 370-103 mark in his 14^th season at UK.
• UK is 303-58 (83.9%) against unranked competition under Calipari. 

Rupp Arena

• UK extended its home win streak to 24 games, dating back to the 2020-21 season, and is the longest active home win streak in the Southeastern Conference and (as this is written) tied for second-longest in the nation.
• Kentucky is 638-77 (89.2%) in the 47-year history of Rupp Arena.
• Kentucky is 211-17 (92.5%) in Rupp Arena under Calipari.

In the First Half

• Kentucky started the combination of Sahvir Wheeler, Cason Wallace, Antonio Reeves, Jacob Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe for the second straight game.
• CJ Fredrick, Daimion Collins, Lance Ware and Chris Livingston were UK’s first substitutes at the 14:48 mark.
• Both teams started slowly on offense, with a pair of Bellarmine 3-pointers the only baskets of the game’s first four minutes.
• Kentucky got its first score on its seventh possession when Reeves tallied a tip-in at 15:38.
• Kentucky got its first lead, 13-12, on a Wallace free throw with 5:27 on the clock.
• Kentucky’s first 3-pointer of the game, a long ball by Wheeler at the 4:43 mark, shoved the team ahead 16-14, igniting an 8-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 21-14 advantage.
• Bellarmine responded with a 7-0 spurt that knotted the count at 21 at halftime. It is UK’s best defensive half of the season and also the Wildcats’ lowest scoring half of the season.
  • Tshiebwe led the Cats with six points and six rebounds.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky opened the second stanza with the starting lineup.
• Trailing 28-26, Bellarmine hit consecutive 3-pointers to go ahead 32-28. 
• Reeves ended a three-minute drought with a 3-pointer from the left corner, Wheeler tied it with a foul shot, Fredrick put UK ahead two free throws, Toppin added two more and Fredrick put the icing on an 11-0 run with a 3-pointer from the right wing, making the score 39-32 for UK.
• Meanwhile, Bellarmine was held scoreless for almost six minutes, from 16:08 to 10:14, before connecting a 3-pointer.
• Kentucky added a 12-0 spurt, for a total run of 23-3, to push the count to 51-35. Bellarmine scored only three points over a 10-minute stretch. 
• UK led by as many as 20 points at 58-38.