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Kentucky Closes Exhibition Schedule with 106-63 victory

Photo by Keyli Chisesi (Go Big Blue Country)

 

The exhibition season has come to a close with a 106-63 victory vs. Centre College, as five Wildcats reached double figures.

 

Sophomore Wenyen Gabriel led the Wildcats with 20 points and 9 rebounds, showing how much he improved during the offseason. The UK sophomore knocked down 8-of-11 shots, including 3-of-4 from long range.

 

The Wildcats got the night started with a three-pointer by Quade Green, who knocked down all three of his outside attempts. The 6-0 freshmen finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and led Kentucky with 5 assists.

 

Kentucky scored the first five points of the game and raced out to an early 13-6 lead at the first media timeout, before leading 54-22 at the half. Centre made a push to start the second half, cutting the UK lead to 22 but the Wildcats quickly pushed the pace to coast to a 43-point victory.

 

In addition to Gabriel and Green, Nick Richards finished in double figures with 17 points. The UK center finished a perfect 6-of-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He also chipped in 6 rebounds.

 

Joining Gabriel, Green, and Richards in double figures was Kevin Knox and PJ Washington. Knox wasn’t a factor on offense in the first half with 2 points but scored 16 second-half points to finish with 18. His game-high 11 rebounds gave him a double-double. Freshman PJ Washington chipped in 10 and 4 rebounds.

 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (9 points), Hamidou Diallo (9 points), Sacha Killeya-Jones (6 points), and Brad Calipari (3 points) rounded out the scoring for Kentucky.

 

The Wildcats shot a blistering 62% from the floor, knocking down 40-of-65 shot attempts, including 8-of-14 from three-point range for 57%. Kentucky assisted on 17 of those 40 made field goals. The Wildcats also held a significant advantage on the glass with a 52-17 edge.

 

Tonight’s matchup completes the exhibition portion of the schedule for Kentucky, who will open the season next Friday vs. Utah Valley at 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

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