LEXINGTON, Ky. -- All five Kentucky starters scored in double figures and the Wildcats looked much closer to the team that shined in four exhibition games in Canada this summer than the team that played its first exhibition game last week.

Kentucky shot 56% from the field, dished out 25 assists, and committed only six turnovers in a 99-53 romp over neighboring Kentucky State on Thursday night at Rupp Arena in its final tune-up for the regular season.

"As fast as we are playing, you know, to have 25 or whatever assists on 37 baskets and have only really four or five turnovers... that means guys can handle it, guys can pass it, they can catch it," UK head coach John Calipari said.

"We have a bunch of pretty good basketball players. I just like the fact that they shared it. In this kind of game what happens is guys (tend to) just lose their minds. They didn't. They played the way we are trying to play."

Grad senior guard Antonio Reeves scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Cats. Freshman wing Justin Edwards followed with 17, while grad senior stretch 5 Tre Mitchell (15), sophomore swingman Adou Thiero (13), and freshman guard DJ Wagner (12) all reached double figures.

"There's a lot of players out there who aren't going to move the ball the way some of these young guys do, and it's impressive," said Mitchell, who added a team-high 10 rebounds and also dished out four assists in a well-rounded performance. "I think it's a sign of their maturity and their understanding of the game. And they notice the talent that's next to them. When you see the talent that's around you, it's a lot easier to give up that ball."

Thiero is not surprised.

"One day before practice, Coach Cal sent us all a text," he said. "It was what (Denver Nuggets star Nikola) Jokic has said. A reporter asked him if he likes doing the scoring or passing it to someone to score, and he said passing it to someone to score because that makes two people happy.

"We all just took that and applied it to our games. It makes it fun for all of us."

Freshman guards Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, and Wagner combined for 15 of the Cats' 25 assists.

Even more impressive, Calipari added, because most of the high-profile signees were asked to dominate games with their scoring in high school. Many are just learning the art of cutting and moving without the basketball for the first time in their basketball careers.

"Hit somebody and cut like crazy and the ball finds you. It just does. I don't know, you know, that's like a karma of basketball," Calipari said.

Kentucky also shot the ball well from the perimeter, knocking down 10 of its 25 attempts and rarely forcing a bad look. Reeves drained four treys, while Mitchell added three of his own playing the center spot while the Cats continued to play without 7-footers Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso, and Zvonimir Ivisic.

The regular season opens Monday, Nov. 6, at Rupp Arena as the Cats play host to New Mexico State.