Kentucky Basketball: Cats Pull Away, Handle Arkansas
By Chad Adams
Kentucky Basketball: After only leading by three at the half, the Cats got out in transition and buried Arkansas down the stretch to win, 97-71
De’Aaron Fox lead all scorers with 27 points, to go with six rebounds and six assists, as the freshman was lethal in transition and off the the dribble, helping Kentucky to pull away in the second half for the 97-71 win over Arkansas in Rupp Arena.
Isaiah Briscoe added 15 points and eight rebounds, while senior Derek Willis scored 15 points off the bench, shooting 6-8 from the floor, including 3-5 from 3-point range, while also five rebounds. Malik Monk chipped in 12 points, while Bam Adebayo scored 11, as five Wildcats reached double-figure scoring in a game that was close early.
Kentucky dominated the glass in what was a physical match against the Razorbacks, out-rebounding Arkansas 44-29 on the night. Kentucky grabbed 15 offensive rebounds; the Cats also blocked five shots on the night defensively.
But the real story of the game was Kentucky’s ability to run in transition in the second half. Not able to get out in transition much in the first half, when Arkansas did a good job getting back on defense, and surprisingly, Kentucky attempted to run on the bounce instead of getting the ball out quick in transition via the pass, the second half was a stark contrast. Fox and company were brilliant in transition, leading to several layups and dunks on the break, helping to blow a tight game wide open.
On a night where Arkansas native Monk struggled early, Briscoe, Willis and especially Fox picked up the slack, as Kentucky flexed its muscles to pick up its third conference win in as many tries, improving to 13-2 on the season.
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Kentucky returns to action Tuesday, Jan. 10 when the Cats head to Nashville to take on Vandy. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM EST; ESPN will broadcast the game.