LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After navigating a brutal SEC schedule that led to more nail-biters than blowouts, Kentucky finally got to enjoy a rare lopsided victory on Senior Night against LSU.
Otega Oweh pumped in a game-high 24 points, while Brandon Garrison, Ansley Almonor, and Collin Chandler each delivered double figures off the bench Tuesday as the No. 19 Wildcats rolled to a 95-64 win at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky (20-10, 9-8) shot 51% from the field, knocked down 12 of 32 from beyond the 3-point arc, and finished with 22 assists to only eight turnovers.
It was a good night for the Wildcats to wash the bad taste from their mouths after being dominated by No. 1 Auburn on Saturday at Rupp Aena.
“Everybody knows that the Auburn game did not go how we wanted it to go," said Garrison, who scored 15 points and dished out four assists in 21 strong minutes off the bench, "but we’ve been in practice just working on it. We forgot about that game and moved on to LSU. We picked up on what we messed up on in the Auburn game, and it showed.”
Added Kentucky head coach Mark Pope: "I thought guys were really connected and took it personal, and that's what we are looking to do as we move forward."
Oweh, a junior guard, said it was a bittersweet night playing with six teammates at Rupp Arena for the final time.
“It’s sad. It’s crazy how fast the season has gone," he said. "It’s true what they say, time flies when you’re having fun. Everything they have taught me, this older group, that’s a really great bond that we will have forever.”
LSU head coach Matt McMahon said Oweh was the difference-maker for the Cats.
"I really thought double-zero (Oweh) was phenomenal tonight. I thought he really set the tone on both ends of the floor. His physicality, defensively, and he was so efficient on the offensive end. I thought he really dominated the game from the wing position."
Added Pope: "O made a bunch of plays today. He made some really simple plays that look brilliant, right? I thought he was terrific, his focus was great."
In addition to big games from Oweh and Garrison, UK got 15 points from senior wing Ansley Almonor and 11 from freshman wing Collin Chandler.
LSU (14-16, 3-14 SEC) shot 45% and was outrebounded 37-30. The Tigers got 15 points from freshman guard Vyctorious Miller, 14 from senior guard Cam Carter, and 13 from grad senior guard Jordan Sears.
“As disappointed as I am in the way we played, especially during the first half, I want to give tremendous credit to Kentucky. I thought they had just a fantastic performance on their Senior Night here tonight," McMahon said.
"It's really hard to simulate their pace of play, and in transition, they were fantastic. They’re pushing the basketball, getting easy 3s in the open floor. Thought they really shared the basketball well -- 22 assists and just eight turnovers."
*****
In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
Kentucky scored 15 unanswered points after LSU recorded the first points of the night. From that point on, the Tigers never had a legit chance to get back into the game. The Cats led 50-23 at halftime.
GAME BALL:
Otega Oweh, Kentucky -- The Wildcats' junior guard had another one of his familiar dominant offensive performances, scoring 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor and a 6-of-6 night at the line. He was far from one-dimensional, though, grabbing eight rebounds and swiping three steals. LSU head coach Matt McMahon singled him out for wrecking the Tigers' night on both ends of the floor.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Kentucky team to make 10 or more 3-pointers in 17 games during the regular season.
11/11 - The Wildcats made all of their free throws for the second time in a game this season.
29-11 - Fast-break scoring advantage for UK.
31 - Largest margin of victory for the Cats on Senior Day since winning by 62 (106-44) in 2003 against Vanderbilt.
43 - Bench points for UK. The Cats had only five in their previous game.
53-6 - Kentucky's record in Senior Day games.
93-29 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series with LSU, including a 48-6 mark in Lexington.
QUOTABLE:
"I think we kinda have a vibe for the first time. It feels like we are going to have the same guys out on the floor tomorrow, on Saturday, as we did tonight, as we did on last Saturday, which we haven't had that in almost two months. And so we are really excited about that, and we are really excited about getting back focused in this late stretch to continue getting better and to continue bringing pace to the game is really important to us." -- UK head coach Mark Pope on having some clarity about the roster and his rotations as the postseason approaches.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday in the regular-season finale at Missouri. The Tigers (21-8, 10-6 SEC) play on Wednesday at Oklahoma before playing host to the Wildcats.
KENTUCKY VS LSU
MARCH 4, 2025
RUPP ARENA-LEXINGTON, KY
#5, Collin Chandler, G
On making the most of minutes….
“I think we're still experimenting with different lineups and different strategies going at teams. I'm excited and ready to go, whatever coach needs, whatever he's wanting to try and wanting to go. And I think it's been fun doing different positions and learning that way. There's been a lot of learning experiences in that. It's fun and unpredictable, but we're getting better.”
On now being successful on offense…..
“I have just been wanting to help the team in any way I can, and that was defensively. I needed to get better, so that was a focus for me— getting better defensively. Coming in and being solid and reliable as a defender, but it can't just be that way. I need to continue to grow offensively and be a threat out there too, because if I'm not a threat out there, it affects my teammates as well on offense. So, I've been focusing on offense as well and getting myself.”
Legacy the seniors are leaving….
“What I do know is that these seniors have been amazing at teaching us young guys all the things that they've learned through their experience. We have so much experience through all of our guys, and they've been very graceful at being patient with us and helping us to learn those things. So, we'll miss that big time, but hopefully we'll be able to continue to learn and pass some things on from them to the next guys. Hopefully their DNA as players will continue to run through this team. They'll leave a lot of DNA with the guys that will be here next year. So, I think it would be with us for a long time in this program.
#00, Otega Oweh, G
On the 15-0 run …“I think we were just all clicking. Even if we’re not clicking, we’re still going to find ways to score and put points on the board. It all starts with defense first, that sparks the offense.”On playing with the senior class …“It’s sad. It’s crazy how fast the season has gone. It’s true what they say, time flies when you’re having fun. Everything they have taught me, this older group, that’s a really great bond that we will have forever.”On playing without Jaxson Robinson …“It’s unfortunate with Jax because he played such a big role on this team and what he brings is crazy. I feel like we’ve just got focus on what we’re doing on the court. Jax is going to support us as much as he can. If we’re out there playing and worried about Jax, our attention is not where it needs to be. Once we get on the court, all of that goes out the window, you just have to focus.”
