Kevin Knox leads the Kentucky basketball team over Arkansas
By Drew Koch
The Kentucky basketball team was down 11-0 to start the game, but a dominant second half performance helped UK helped the Cats grab a crucial road win. The Wildcats defeated Arkansas 87-72.
The Kentucky basketball team, led by Kevin Knox’s 23 points, dominated Arkansas after halftime. The Wildcats defeated the Razorbacks 87-72. Kentucky outrebounded Arkansas 46-29.
First Half
The Razorbacks got off to a hot start and led the Kentucky basketball team 11-0 early. PJ Washington stopped the bleeding with Kentucky’s first bucket. A Kevin Knox free throw and dunk by Jarred Vanderbilt narrowed Arkansas’ lead to 13-5 with just under 15 minutes left in the first half.
Arkansas dominated the offensive glass early in the half with 5 offensive rebounds and 7 second-chance points. Quade Green was knocking down shots early. Green was 2-of-2 from downtown before the under-12 minute timeout. He and Vanderbilt helped the Kentucky basketball team crawl out of an 11-point hole, cutting the Hogs’ lead to 17-13 with 11:58 left in the half.
Washington absolutely STUFFED Arkansas’ freshman center Daniel Gafford. The Cats later pushed the ball ahead and a layup by Green tied the game at 20 points a piece. UK’s play got a bit sloppy and the Razorbacks took advantage. Timely shooting by Arkansas gave the Hogs a 29-24 lead.
The Razorbacks stretched the lead to 6 points, but the Cats came storming back. A putback by Sacha Killeya-Jones and an uncontested three-pointer from Knox cut the Hogs’ lead to 1 point. Knox gave Kentucky their first lead of the game with 2 free throws. The Cats led at that point 33-32.
Arkansas, assisted by some less than stellar defense from the Cats, used some timely shooting late in the half to take a 5 point lead with less than 2 minutes left before halftime. But the Wildcats would not go away. Kentucky, led by Knox and Washington, closed the half on an 8-3 run and escaped the first half tied at 43 with the Razorbacks.
Second Half
Hamidou Diallo and Wenyen Gabriel started the second half on the bench. Instead, Green and Washington drew the starting nod. A back and forth, uptempo pace led to the two teams scoring a combing 24 points in the first 4 minutes of the second half. The Razorbacks led at the first TV timeout 56-54.
Arkansas went on a 5-0 run, but a three-point bucket by Gabriel cut the Arkansas lead to 2. Knox knocked down a baseline jumper and tied the game at 61. Knox then went coast-to-coast after Gabriel blocked a layup at the other end and the Cats went up 63-61.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 5 straight points midway through the half and gave the Kentucky basketball team a 70-65 lead. A corner three by Knox after the under-8 minute timeout gave Kentucky a 10-point lead. SGA then knocked down a triple and gave Kentucky a 78-65 lead.
The Cats continued to dominate the second half and kept Arkansas scoreless from the field for over 7 minutes. The Hogs finally knocked through a field goal with 2:29 left. At that point the Wildcats used a 13-5 run to lead 83-70.