Kentucky honored six seniors on Tuesday night prior to the home finale against LSU. But once the game started, it was a trio of underclassmen who stole the show.
Junior Otega Oweh had 24 points, making nine of 11 shots from the floor, while adding eight rebounds and three assists as No. 19 Kentucky smashed LSU 95-64 at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky (20-10, 9-8 Southeastern Conference) got a season-high-tying 15 points from sophomore Brandon Garrison and a career-high 11 points from freshman Collin Chandler.
Yes, the UK seniors produced as well. Ansley Almonor scored a season-high 15 points. Amari Williams had nine points and six rebounds, while Andrew Carr had eight points and six rebounds. Lamont Butler added five points and five assists and Koby Brea had six points.
LSU (14-16, 3-14) got on the board first before Brea hit a three from the right wing to make it 3-2 UK. An Oweh layup and a Carr three extended the lead to 8-2. A Williams putback and free throw, followed by an Oweh jumper, and a Butler dunk made it 15 consecutive points for the Cats, who led 15-2. LSU scored to end the run, but the Cats led by 11.
A Garrison three extended the lead to 18-4 but LSU scored the next six to cut the deficit to 18-10. Kentucky answered with an Almonor three, followed by nine consecutive points from Oweh. The 12-0 run gave the Cats a 30-10 lead. LSU scored four in a row before a Williams dunk stretched the lead to 32-14.
LSU would cut the deficit to 34-17 before a Garrison dunk and a Brea three gave the Cats a 39-17 advantage. Those points were the start of a 16-6 run to close the half. Kentucky took a 50-23 lead into the break. Oweh led all scorers with 15 points in the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, the teams would trade two baskets apiece before Oweh hit three free throws and Carr completed a three-point play to extend the lead to 60-27. After an LSU three, the Cats went on a 12-4 run, capped by threes from Butler and Chandler, to stretch the lead to 72-34.
From there, Kentucky would lead by as many as 37 (the largest lead of the game was 38) before settling for the 31-point victory.
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, playing the regular season finale at Missouri. Tipoff is set for noon ET and the game can be seen on ESPN.
