LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After spending the last 10 days stewing over what its coach has called "the Ohio State debacle," Kentucky bounced back on Tuesday with renewed focus in an 88-54 romp over Brown at Rupp Arena.
The No. 10 Wildcats leaned on their improved defensive focus in the decisive win over the Ivy League's Bears. Kentucky held Brown to 40% from the field, forced 23 turnovers, and had season-highs for both deflections and steals. Many of the defensive plays were converted into offense as part of a 33-4 advantage in points of turnovers.
Brown's 54 points marked a season-low for a Kentucky opponent.
"I was proud of us kinda ringing the bell defensively," UK head coach Mark Pope said. "It was really important to us. Minus some letdowns on the glass, I thought some guys were stellar. It was a season-high in deflections, which is really important for us.
"I think our guys had fun tonight.“
"It's what we practiced all week long, and it was good to come out and show them what we truly have," said UK grad senior center Amari Williams, who contributed on that end of the floor with three blocked shots and a steal among numerous other deflections and altered shots.
Kentucky (11-2) shot the ball well -- 30 of 60 from the field -- and had its trademark offensive balance with four players in double figures. Andrew Carr led the Cats with 14 points, while Otega Oweh, Koby Brea, and Williams each added 13.
The Cats finished with 18 assists and only five turnovers on the day.
Brown (7-5) got 16 points from senior guard Kino Lilly Jr. and 15 from junior forward Landon Lewis. The Bears outrebounded UK 35-29, led by six from Lewis.
Ultimately, the turnovers were too much for Brown to overcome.
"I think Kentucky did a great job of making us uncomfortable from the very beginning," Brown head coach Mike Martin said. "Offensively, we struggled to really get into a flow and run offense. Twenty-three turnovers led to 33 Kentucky points. Obviously, it’s going to be hard to stay within reach when that happens."
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
The game was competitive through halftime as Brown hung within 12 points of Kentucky, but the Wildcats went on a 16-5 run to start the second half and take full control. Otega Oweh scored seven of his 13 points during the spurt to help UK grab its first 20-point lead of the day.
GAME BALL:
Lamont Butler, Kentucky -- He scored fewer points (6) than five other teammates, but the Cats' grad senior point guard was once again "the head of the snake" with a team-best 29 in the plus/minus column. He initiated UK's strong defensive effort with three steals and also chipped in with three rebounds and three assists.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Matchup between Kentucky and Brown in school history.
14 - Steals for the Wildcats, a season-high, including four by Otega Oweh.
23 - Turnovers by Brown were the most by a UK opponent since Texas A&M had 25 in a Jan. 3, 2017, game.
50% - Shooting from he field for Kentucky (30 of 60), the sixth time this season the Cats have topped 50%
20,042 - Attendance at Rupp Arena.
QUOTABLE:
“Just super-excited about the gauntlet that we have in front of us. The league is super-talented. For us to be as prepared as we possibly can to go out there and win a national championship, which is what this league will prepare us to do, I think. Being able to bring crazy intensity each and every game and you’re going to get looks from top to bottom of the league. Not everyone plays the same, so it’ll be super fun to see our team grow throughout that.” -- UK grad senior forward Andrew Carr on entering SEC play.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday against Florida in the SEC opener for both teams. The No. 6 Gators will come to Lexington sporting a 13-0 record. Tipoff is slated for 11 a.m. ET on ESPN.
