Recap
UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY vs. GERMANY
GLOBL JAM | TORONTO, ONTARIO | MATTAMY ATHLETIC CENTRE
JULY 12, 2023
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 81, Germany 73
- This was Kentucky’s first exhibition game of the GLOBL JAM FIBA event. UK will play three additional games during the tour.
- The Wildcats return to the court on Thursday vs. Canada. That game will tip at 8 p.m. and air on tape delay at midnight on CBS Sports Network.
- Kentucky is 147-12 all-time in exhibition games and has won 26 straight. UK is 44-1 in exhibition contests under head coach John Calipari.
First-Quarter Facts
- Kentucky’s starting lineup featured D.J. Wagner, Antonio Reeves, Justin Edwards, Adou Thiero and Tre Mitchell.
- After yielding a bucket on the opening possession, the Cats went on an 8-0 run to grab an 8-2 lead. Reeves scored the team’s first points on the second of two free throws, followed by a floater from Wagner, a traditional 3-point play from Thiero and then a terrific give-and-go from Mitchell to Wagner.
- Rob Dillingham was UK’s first sub of the game, coming in at the first timeout with UK leading 8-5.
- Wagner found his way to the rim and then Mitchell drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to lift Kentucky to a 13-7 edge with 3:40 to play in the first quarter.
- Reed Sheppard and Jordan Burks entered the game for the first time following the timeout at 3:40.
- Germany reclaimed the lead at 17-15 with just under a minute to play on an and-one play of its own.
- Dillingham answered with a jumper from the left wing to knot the score at 17 at the end of the opening frame.
Second-Quarter Story
- Germany sunk consecutive 3-pointers to open the second half to take its largest lead at 23-17.
- UK got it back to within one at 26-25 at the 4:38 mark. Sheppard forced a backcourt turnover and found a racing Wagner for a dunk to prompt a timeout from the Germans.
- Out of the break, Sheppard’s pressure induced another turnover by Germany which led to a Reeves 3-pointer and a 28-26 lead for the Cats.
- After Germany snuck ahead 36-35, Kentucky scored the final four points of the stanza and finished off the quarter with a block from Thiero for a 39-36 edge.
- Reeves led the Cats with 13 points in the opening half and Wagner had eight.
- Kentucky forced nine steals, with Sheppard and Wagner both responsible for a pair.
- Reeves also led the way on the boards with four, while Thiero had a pair of blocks.
Third-Quarter Tidbits
- UK opened the second half with a lineup featuring the same starting five.
- Mitchell opened the second with a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
- After Germany closed the gap to 47-45, but Thiero kept a play alive, and Mitchell found Reeves for his third 3-pointer of the game. Thiero then snatched a steal off a rebound and drew a foul before lifting UK to a 51-45 edge with 6:12 remaining in the quarter with a free throw.
- Reeves hit the 20-point mark with a jumper with 4:03 remaining.
- Sheppard found Burks off an inbounds play for a dunk with just one second remaining on the shot clock to push UK’s advantage to 14 with just under 45 seconds to go in the stanza.
- Mitchell’s 11 points in the quarter led the way for UK, which outscored Germany by nine points in the quarter and led by 12 going into the final period.
Fourth-Quarter Findings
- Wagner drained a 3-pointer off a great find from Burks to give UK its largest lead of the game at 16 with 8:47 to go.
- UK maintained a double-digit lead until Germany cut the deficit to seven with 1:17 to play.
- Reeves responded with a driving layup and then made two free throws down the stretch to hold off the comeback.
Team Notes
- Kentucky scored 27 points off of 22 German turnovers.
- UK had 10 total steals and five blocks.
- UK’s largest lead was 16 points.
- The Cats totaled 24 assists on 31 made field goals while turning the ball over 13 times.
- The Wildcats won the battle in the paint, outscoring Germany 36-18 in points in the paint.
Player Notes
- Antonio Reeves led all scorers with 24 points and made three 3-pointers.
- Tre Mitchell added 20 points behind four 3-pointers, while also hauling in six boards.
- Adou Thiero posted nine points, seven boards, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
- D.J. Wagner had 16 points, six assists, two steals and two blocks.
- Justin Edwards had a team-high nine rebounds while also chipping in with four points and four assists.
- Despite not scoring, Reed Sheppard contributed to all facets of the game with six assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals.
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