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Cats overcome adversity in 77-59 win over Ohio

Kentucky junior forward Keion Brooks scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Cats' 77-59 win over Ohio on Friday night at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky junior forward Keion Brooks scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Cats' 77-59 win over Ohio on Friday night at Rupp Arena. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The first half of Kentucky's game Friday against Ohio could not have unfolded any worse for the No. 13 Wildcats.

They lost their leading scorer and rebounder, junior center/forward Oscar Tshiebwe, to a pair of fouls in the first 65 seconds. They saw backup big man Daimion Collins pick up three quick fouls of his own. One of their other leading scorers, Kellen Grady, did not tally a point. Their star point guard, Sahvir Wheeler, did not dish out an assist.

Yet, somehow, when UK headed back to the locker room to regroup at halftime, the Cats had turned an 11-point deficit into a two-point lead against an upset-minded opponent with NCAA Tournament credentials.

Kentucky (3-1) relied on its depth and an overwhelming rebounding advantage en route to a 77-59 win at Rupp Arena. Junior forward Keion Brooks scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds while freshman guard TyTy Washington delivered a 20-point, 11-rebound, 5-assist line to lead the Cats.

Grad senior guard Davion Mintz stepped up with 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench, and Wheeler chipped in with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists in a well-balanced effort by UK.

"This game really showed us a lot," said UK coach John Calipari, noting that he almost regretted playing a team as talented as Ohio, which has most of its roster back that eliminated Virginia last season in the NCAA Tournament, so early in the season.

"So proud of the guys. We outrebounded them by a bunch."

Kentucky outrebounded the Bobcats by an eye-popping 53-17 margin despite the nation's leading glass-cleaner, Tshiebwe (18.7 rpg), grabbing "just" 10.

Freshman wing Bryce Hopkins came off the bench and moved to the post in an emergency role for the Cats that may offer hints to his future minutes in the rotation. He responded with seven points and seven rebounds in the first half.

"Without Bryce, without Daimion playing in the first half, we don't win the game. We don't get a chance to get separation," Calipari said.

The game remained competitive until the Cats broke it open with a 9-0 spurt midway through the second half that turned a 48-48 tie into a 57-48 lead. Four different UK players scored during the run to energize the home crowd.

Kentucky held Ohio to just 33% shooting from the field in the second half and to just 37% in the game. The Bobcats went only 3-for-12 from the 3-point arc in the second half after going 5-for-12 in the first half.

Ohio (3-1) was led by junior forward Ben Vander Plas, who scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in the first half, including a trio of deep 3-point shots that had both the Cats and their fans shaking their heads.

The Cats once again played without a pair of their regular contributors, forward Lance Ware (ankle) and forward Jacob Toppin (shoulder).

*****

In this Rapid Recap feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory....

GAME BALL:

TyTy Washington, Kentucky -- The freshman guard had his breakout performance in his fourth game as a Wildcat, scoring 20 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out five assists. He's just the third UK player under John Calipari to record at least 20-10-5 in a game, joining Isaiah Briscoe and James Young.

BY THE NUMBERS:

6 - Rebounds by Ohio in the second half.

+36 - Kentucky outrebounded Ohio 53-17. It was the Cats' best rebounding margin since grabbing 39 more boards than Vanderbilt on Jan. 3, 1998.

86.4% - Kentucky's free-throw percentage on the season after making 16 of 17 against Ohio.

191-9 - The Cats' record under John Calipari when holding the opponent to under 63 points.

19,045 - Attendance at Rupp Arena, a season-high.

QUOTABLE:

"It was super fun. I mean, just to be out there was like having like an extra player out there. These people really care about us and we can feel the energy and it just goes straight out to the court. So I really appreciate all the fans that we have and come out.” -- Kentucky grad senior guard Davion Mintz on the electric Rupp Arena crowd on Friday night.

UP NEXT:

The Cats return to action Monday at Rupp Arena against Albany. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ and SEC Network+ streaming networks. There will be no traditional TV broadcast.

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