LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky is 5-0 for the first time since 2016, and the No. 9 Wildcats are doing it in a fashion that Big Blue Nation hasn't seen since 1996.
With flashbacks to his old coach's era, Mark Pope's team made 17 of 39 shots from 3-point range and finished with 11 dunks in a 108-59 crowd-pleasing romp over Jackson State on Friday night at Rupp Arena.
The Cats placed five players in double figures, shot 58% from the field, and dished out 29 assists on 41 made buckets. Eleven of UK's twelve scholarship players scored, and the only one who did not dished out a game-high seven assists, underscoring an all-for-one approach.
“As a coach, you always preach (assists)," said a thoroughly impressed Jackson State head coach Mo Williams. "‘Move the ball, get the ball hopping, move the defense with the pass, not the dribble.’ They do a great job of that."
"It was a great night. Proud of our guys," said Pope, who remained unbeaten in his debut season with the Cats. "I thought they did a ton of good things. It was fun. We got to see everything We got to see a ton of transitions and a ton of shots, you know, all kinds of fireworks from our guys."
Grad senior wing Koby Brea came off the bench to lead Kentucky with 22 points, including five of the Cats' 3-pointers. Otega Oweh added 21, followed by Jaxson Robinson (14), Lamont Butler (11), and Ansley Almonor (10).
"I thought he was terrific," Pope said of Brea, who is now 20-of-27 from the arc this season. "One of my many favorite moments of the night, he banged a 3 right in the corner in front of me, and he turned around and started talking trash to me, which was awesome. I love that.
"I mean, Koby is in a tough spot," Pope continued, tongue planted firmly in cheek. "He goes 5-for-8 from the 3-point line, and it's destroying his shooting percentage, which is just crazy, and I've never seen that in my lifetime. He sure is doing special things for us, like all our guys are right now."
Centers Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison had eight rebounds apiece. Garrison also chipped in with six points, six assists, three steals, and three blocked shots, all coming in 23 productive minutes off the bench.
Kerr Kriisa also shined in a reserve role, leading UK with seven assists. Four different Cats had five or more assists on a night when Kentucky led by as many as 51 points.
Defensively, Kentucky held Jackson State (0-6) to 33% from the field, recorded 13 steals, and blocked nine shots. Butler, Oweh, and Garrison each had three steals.
"They are a team that has a chance if they stay together," Williams said of the Cats. "They continue to compete like they have and like they are doing, they have a great chance."
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
Kentucky led 15-7 at the first media timeout and quickly put the game away with a 15-2 run during the next segment. Four different reserves scored during the spurt, part of a 52-12 bench-scoring advantage on the night. The Cats led 54-30 at halftime.
GAME BALL:
Koby Brea, Kentucky -- So many guys stuffed the stat sheet tonight with impressive numbers, but it was the grad senior sharpshooter who led the Cats with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and a 5-of-8 night from the arc while coming off the bench.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Meeting between Kentucky and Jackson State.
5 - Straight games with 10-plus 3-pointers made by UK, a first in program history. Only four teams nationally have done that this season -- St. Louis, Tennessee Tech, Sam Houston State, and UK.
17/39 - Three-point shooting by Kentucky, season-highs for both makes and attempts. Koby Brea went 5-of-8 from the arc, raising his season figures to 20-of-27.
61.6% - The Cats' assist rate on the season, dishing out 109 assists on 177 made FGs.
100 - Points or more scored by the Wildcats in three of the first four games at Rupp Arena this season.
QUOTABLE:
“[I am] just happy to really be here, to be honest. I am not really supposed to be here, really, looking at my story. So just me being here, being able to honor this jersey, I just love it. And I’m so appreciative. So that’s why every time I go out there, I’m just happy to be here.” -- UK reserve wing Ansley Almonor, who scored 10 points in the Cats' blowout win.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday at Rupp Arena against Western Kentucky. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
