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RECAP: Kentucky Wildcats pull away late for 92-67 win in charity exhibition

Morehead State gives No. 4 UK a good test deep into second half, but Cats use superior length, athleticism to force 26 turnovers, claim victory in "Kentucky Cares Classic." 

Kentucky freshman guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander races past Morehead State's Jordan Walker during the first half of Monday's "Kentucky Cares Classic" charity game at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky freshman guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander races past Morehead State's Jordan Walker during the first half of Monday's "Kentucky Cares Classic" charity game at Rupp Arena. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
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LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky's second exhibition game of the season gave the Wildcats a surprisingly strong challenge Monday night at Rupp Arena.

Morehead State, a Division I opponent invited to play in the "Kentucky Cares Classic" charity game for disaster relief, hung within two points of the No. 4 Wildcats with 12:34 remaining before UK pulled away late for a 92-67 victory.

"They weren't afraid," UK coach John Calipari said of the Eagles. "We needed this kind of game, to be honest with you."

Morehead State shot an impressive 49 percent from the field against the long, tall Cats and knocked down 10 of its 21 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc to keep the game competitive for most of the night.

The Eagles also held a shocking 30-25 rebounding advantage.

"It was definitely a tough game," UK redshirt freshman guard Hamidou Diallo said. "I mean, Morehead’s a great team, and they are very competitive and they come out and gave it their all. They left it all on the floor."

Kentucky, however, forced 26 turnovers, turning them into 30 points. That ultimately proved to be the difference.

"They’re extremely long," said Morehead State coach Preston Spradlin, a former staff member under Calipari at UK. "... They were flying around with their length. It’s going to give anybody problems."

The Cats used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to start pulling away. A 17-7 spurt over the final five minutes led to a somewhat deceptive final margin.

Redshirt freshman guard Hamidou Diallo led Kentucky with 23 points on an 8-for-12 shooting night from the field. Freshman guards Quade Green and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 and 17, respectively, while freshman forward Kevin Knox gave the Cats a fourth newcomer in double figures with 16.

Morehead State got 15 points from forward Lamontray Harris and 13 from guard Jordan Walker.

In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from UK's victory...

WHAT WE LIKED:

It was an exciting show of potential from freshman guards Quade Green, Hamidou Diallo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who combined for 60 of the Cats' 92 points on 18-of-27 shooting from the field and 20-of-24 shooting at the line. They also contributed 10 assists and seven steals while committing only one turnover apiece.

GAME BALL:

Quade Green, Kentucky - The Philadelphia native was 6-of-9 from the field, made his only 3-point attempt, and sank all seven of his free throws. He also played a strong floor game with five assists, one turnover, and four steals. Each time UK made a nice run in the game, Green seemed to be at the center of the action.

BY THE NUMBERS:

-5 - Rebounding margin for UK against the smaller Eagles, who had 14 of their 30 on the offensive glass.

15:11 - Assist-to-turnover ratio for the Cats pleased Calipari.

26 of 32 - UK's free-throw shooting on the night. The Cats have shot 77.4 percent at the line in their two exhibition games.

58-4 - UK's all-time record in exhibition games, including 29 consecutive wins.

14,138 - Attendance for the charity game.

$448,220 - Money raised for Team Rubicon on ticket sales from the game, which will assist those affected by recent natural disasters in the U.S., Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

QUOTABLE:

"That's not my kind of team. That's not how my teams play." -- UK coach John Calipari on allowing Morehead State to shoot 49 percent from the field and win the rebounding battle.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky will play its third and final tune-up game on Friday at 7 p.m. ET against Centre College, a Division III program from Danville, Ky.

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