Kentucky basketball uses offensive explosion to dump Ole Miss

The No. 23 ranked Kentucky basketball team shot 50% from the field and defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 96-78.

The Kentucky basketball team used a dominant offensive performance to send Big Blue Nation home happy in the Wildcats’ last home game of the season. The Cats defeated the Rebels 96-78. Kevin Knox led the Wildcats in scoring with points 22.

First Half

The game started out with some fireworks early. Marcanvis Hymon of Mississippi received a technical foul with 1:23 into the game after arguing with an official. Ole Miss head coach Tony Madlock sat Hymon after his alteration. Seconds after Hymon reentered the game, he shoved Nick Richards during a fast break opportunity for the Cats. Richards retaliated and was assessed a technical foul. Hymon received his second technical foul and was ejected.

After the dust settled and all the free throws were attempted, the Wildcats led the Rebels 12-5. Another technical foul on the Rebels while battling under the basket really slowed the pace of the game. At the under-12 minute timeout the Cats held a 19-14 lead.

Mississippi used an 8-2 run to give themselves a 22-21 lead midway through the half. Jarred Vanderbilt went 1-of-2 on Kentucky’s ensuing possession and tied the game at 22. After a Kevin Knox triple and a fast break layup by Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, the Kentucky basketball team took a 29-25 lead into the under-8 minute timeout.

Kentucky used a 10-5 run to open up a 9-point lead, their largest of the night. Gilgeous-Alexander hit Knox down court with under 2 minutes for a slam dunk and UK increased their lead to 11. At the end of the half Kentucky led 50-42. The 50 points were the most in the first half by UK during SEC play.

Second Half

Hamidou Diallo started the second half on the bench in favor of Quade Green. Ole Miss came out firing after halftime and cut the Kentucky lead to 4 at 53-49. Gilgeous-Alexander was fouled taking a three-pointer and converted all 3 free throws and gave UK a 56-49 advantage. The  Rebels wouldn’t go away early, as Kentucky held a 4-point lead at the first TV timeout.

The Kentucky basketball team picked up their intensity after the timeout. UK went on a 6-0 run with Vanderbilt’s hustle leading the way. Kentucky had a 10-point lead before Ole Miss used a 7-0 run to narrow the lead to 3 points. During the run, Wenyen Gabriel picked a technical foul for pushing Ole Miss guard Breein Tyree to the floor.

Green knocked down a corner three-pointer midway through the half to give UK a 75-67 lead. On the next possession, Diallo dropped through a three-pointer of his own. The Cats got their lead back up to 9 and led the Rebels 78-69. PJ Washington put in a free throw and then Green hit his second triple of the game to give UK an 82-69 lead.

The increased their lead and led 89-74 at the under-4 minute timeout. Diallo knocked down another shot form downtown and the Wildcats handled their business in the closing minutes and extended their winning streak to 4 games.