Mark Pope Gets His First Kentucky Win plus Boxscore and Other Wright State Game Notes

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KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY.
NOV. 4, 2024
ATTENDANCE: 19,635

Final Score: No. 23 Kentucky 103, Wright State 62

 Team Records and Series Notes

• This was the season opener for both teams.
  • This was the second time Kentucky played Wright State in the season opener, also Dec. 2, 1992, an 81-65 UK win in Lexington.
• Kentucky leads the series 5-0, including 4-0 in Lexington.
• The Wildcats return to action Saturday, Nov. 9, at home vs. Bucknell. Game time is 4 p.m. and it will be televised on SEC Network+.

UK in Openers

• Beginning its 123^rdseason of men’s basketball, UK now has a 101-21 record in season lidlifters (no official games played in the 1952-53 season).
• UK is 106-16 all-time in home openers.
• UK is 45-4 in the first game played in Rupp Arena.
• The Wildcats are 8-0 in a head coach’s debut dating back to Adolph Rupp’s first game in December 1930.

Team Notes

• 103 points is the most in a season opener since Nov. 11, 2011, when Kentucky scored 108 vs. Marist.
• Six players scored in double figures
  • The last time six Wildcats scored in double figures was March 2 against Arkansas.
• Kentucky notched an assist on 30 of its 39 baskets tonight, an assist rate of 76.9%.
  • That follows a 70.2 assist rate in the two exhibition games.
  • Six players had at least three assists tonight, and three had at least five.
• Kentucky never trailed in this game as there was one tie (2-2) and no lead changes.
• Kentucky is 662-85 (88.6%) in the 49-year history of Rupp Arena.

Player Notes 

• Amari Williams notched a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, his 25^th career double-double.
• Otega Oweh tallied 21 points, just two shy of his career best, and had a career-high three 3-pointers.
  • He also had three steals, tying Butler for game-high honors.
• Koby Brea notched 18 points, just four away from his career best, and hit all four 3-point shots.
• Lamont Butler scored 14 points and matched Oweh with a game-high three steals.
  • Butler, Kerr Kriisa and Brandon Garrison each led the Cats with five assists.
• Andrew Carr and Ansley Almonor also hit double digits with 11 points each.

 Coach Mark Pope

• Mark Pope, who wore jersey #41 during his playing days, won his debut as the Kentucky coach by a 41-point margin.
• 103 points is the most for a Kentucky coach in his debut game.  The previous high was 88 points vs. Morehead State in Orlando “Tubby” Smith’s first game on Nov. 20, 1997.
• Pope won his seventh season opener in a row, including his final season at Utah Valley and all five openers at BYU.
• Winning his first game at Kentucky, Mark Pope’s career record is now 188-108.

 In the First Half

• Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams.
  • First substitutions were Koby Brea and Brandon Garrison at the 14:44 mark.
• On the first possession, the season’s first basket was by Carr on a lob from Williams.
  • Williams was part of UK’s first three baskets with an assist to Oweh and his own driving dunk.
• All five starters scored before the first media timeout.
• A 10-0 run, sparked by eight points by Brea, gave the Wildcats a 27-11 lead.
• Kentucky led 46-24 at halftime, its largest lead of the opening stanza.
  • The Wildcats “eight” ‘em up in the first half as five players tallied eight points – Oweh, Robinson, Brea, Carr and Williams.
  • UK limited Wright State to 27.8 percent field goal shooting, 10 of 36.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starting lineup.
• A 12-4 opening spurt coaxed a Raider timeout with 17:00 remaining.
• UK led by as many as 44 points at 95-51 and 97-53.
• UK hit the century mark, 101-60, on a Brea layup with 2:29 left.