LEXINGTON, Ky. -- As a swarm of cameras and microphones surrounded him following Kentucky's 101-67 romp over Stonehill on Friday night at Rupp Arena, Reed Sheppard tried his best to give the interview many have already come to expect from the humble but talented freshman guard from London, Ky.

Until one question was raised.

Asked if he knew he had just hit more 3-pointers in a game (7) than his legendary father, Jeff, ever did during his career with the Wildcats, Sheppard broke character with a massive grin.

"It's really cool," said Sheppard, who led Kentucky's impressive victory with 25 points, seven assists, three steals and two blocked shots in just 26 minutes off the bench. "I didn't know that. I'll have to let him know about that when I see him later."

Sheppard was 9-of-10 from the field and knocked down seven of his eight attempts from 3-point range on a night when Kentucky (3-1) shot 17-of-32 as a team from long range. It marked the most 3-pointers in the John Calipari era at UK and the most in a single game by the Cats since the 1995 season.

Kentucky knocked down 12 of 38 treys on Tuesday night in a near-upset of top-ranked Kansas at the Champions Classic in Chicago. Asked why he seems to be embracing the long ball more this season, Calipari kept it simple.

"Probably because I've got a good shooting team," he deadpanned. "And when I haven't, we don't take as many 3's... We've got guys here that got a green light because they are really skilled."

Not just in the shooting department. The Cats also dished out 26 assists on their 39 made field goals. Four different players -- Sheppard, Rob Dillingham, Antonio Reeves, and Tre Mitchell -- recorded four or more assists.

"We're all really happy for each other when the other one scores," Sheppard said. "... I've got to give all the credit to my teammates. They were able to break down the zone and get me an open 3. I didn't shoot any that were contested. They were all open because Rob, DJ (Wagner), Justin (Edwards), and Tre found me open."

"I feel like with any group that’s how we try to play," added Dillingham, who tallied 20 points. "We try to move the ball, get the ball to an open man shoot open shots, and just make plays.”

Kentucky also got 15 points apiece from Mitchell and Reeves.

Stonehill (1-4) was led by Tony Felder and Max Zegarowski with 15 points apiece. The Skyhawks show 37.5% from the field but kept the game close until early in the second half by knocking down 11 of their 39 attempts from the arc.

*****

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

KEY MOMENT:

After Stonehill opened the second half with an 8-0 run to trim Kentucky's lead to 58-46, John Calipari called a quick timeout to refocus the Wildcats. They emerged from that break in the action with a 30-9 run that included a trio of crowd-pleasing 3-pointers by Reed Sheppard and one from both Rob Dillingham and DJ Wagner to re-establish UK's dominance.

GAME BALL:

Reed Sheppard, Kentucky -- An easy call tonight. The homegrown talent, son of former UK men's and women's stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed, had a night to remember with 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting, seven 3-pointers, seven assists, three steals, and two blocked shots.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Matchup ever between Kentucky and Stonehill.

2nd - Time in the last 50 years of UK Basketball that the team has opened the season scoring 81 or more points in four straight games. The other came in the 1992-93 Final Four Season.

13th - Highest 3-point field goal total (7 by Reed Sheppard) in UK history.

17 - Three-point shots by the Wildcats were the most since a March 4, 1995, game against LSU. The Cats were 20-of-35 in that game, a 120-87 victory over the Tigers.

20th - Time the Cats have hit the century mark in points under John Calipari. The last time was exactly one year ago, Nov. 17, 2022, in a 106-63 win over South Carolina State.

+42 - Team-high plus-minus figure for UK's Reed Sheppard in 26 minutes of action.

QUOTABLE:

"We've got eight dudes that can go out and have a great (scoring) night." -- UK freshman guard Reed Sheppard

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Monday at Rupp Arena against Saint Joseph's. The Hawks (3-1) were defeated 57-54 by Texas A&M Commerce on Friday night as part of the Wildcat Challenge. Tipoff is 7 ET on the SEC Network.