Otega Oweh scored 20 points as No. 17 Kentucky rolled past Vanderbilt 82-61 on Wednesday night at Rupp Arena.
For Oweh, it was the 26th consecutive game in which he has scored in double figures, and it was the eighth time that he has scored at least 20 points.
Kentucky (18-8, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) got 17 points and six rebounds from Amari Williams. Koby Brea had 12 and Andrew Carr added 11.
Brea got the scoring started with a three, giving the Cats an early lead. A Carr layup made it 5-0 before Vandy scored five in a row to tie the game. An Oweh layup and free throw made it 8-5. After a Commodores’ basket, Williams and Oweh combined to make four consecutive free throws, giving UK a 12-7 lead.
After a Vandy three got the ‘Dores within two, Collin Chandler answered with a three of his own and UK led 15-10. After Vandy scored three straight points to cut the UK lead to two, Brea hit another three, extending the advantage to 18-13. Vandy added a basket before Ansley Almonor hit a three to stretch the UK lead to 21-15.
Vanderbilt responded with a 6-2 run to get within two, 23-21 before Williams hit two free throws and Oweh hit an elbow jumper to extend the lead to 27-21. The teams would trade threes, including a corner triple from Almonor, and the Cats led 30-24. However, the ‘Dores would score the next seven points and took a 31-30 lead.
Kentucky then got an Oweh layup and two Chandler free throws to lead 34-31 before Vandy scored four in a row, grabbing the lead back, 35-34. The Cats would take the lead right back on two Oweh free throws and a Williams basket, but the Commodores tied it on a three with 1:16 left in the first half.
A Williams dunk and free throw gave UK a 41-38 lead before Vandy scored at the buzzer. Still, the Cats took a 41-40 lead into the break. Oweh led the Cats with 11 first-half points.
Kentucky got off to a hot start in the second half, scoring the first six points on baskets by Carr, Williams and Oweh. In the process, UK extended the lead to 47-40. After the ‘Dores scored four in a row, Williams scored two baskets in a row and the Cats led 51-44. A Carr bucket in the lane made it 53-44. And when Carr hit a three from the corner, it capped a 9-0 run and the Kentucky lead was 56-44 with 12:55 remaining.
Vandy scored to cut the UK lead to 10 before Brea hit his third three-pointer of the night, giving UK a 59-46 advantage. After the ‘Dores scored three in a row, Oweh made a layup, then a three and the Cats led 64-49 with 8:42 to play. A Carr dunk extended the UK lead to 66-49.
The Commodores scored four consecutive points to cut the UK lead to 66-54 before Travis Perry drilled a three, and a Williams layup made it 71-54.
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, visiting Tuscaloosa to face No. 4 Alabama. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPN.
