Kentucky basketball: PJ Washington dominant in SEC Tournament win
By Drew Koch
The Kentucky basketball team got off to a good start in the SEC Tournament with a 62-49 win over Georgia. PJ Washington led the Wildcats with 18 points.
The Kentucky basketball team started the 2018 SEC Tournament on the right foot. UK, led by freshman forward PJ Washington, defeated Gerogia 62-49 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Washington was 8-of-12 from the field and pulled down 7 rebounds.
Star freshman Jarred Vanderbilt was sidelined with what’s believed to be am ankle sprain. Washington and sophomore forward Wenyen Gabriel picked up the slack for the injured Vanderbilt. Gabriel knocked down 2 three-pointer shots and grabbed 6 rebounds himself to help offset the loss of Vanderbilt on the floor. Vanderbilt is UK’s leading rebounder with 7.9 per game.
Georgia took a lead late the first half at 23-22. The Kentucky basketball team then went on an 8-0 heading into halftime and never looked back. The Wildcats shut down Georgia’s leading scorer and first-team All-SEC honoree Yante Maten. Maten, who averages almost 20 points per contest, was held in check today by the Cats. The Bulldogs’ senior leader finished with 9 points on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor.
Kentucky finished with 3 players in double figures. The aforementioned Washington had 18, Kevin Knox dropped 15 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15. Gilgeous-Alexander dished out 9 assists as well and had 2 steals. The 9 assists from Shai were more than the entire team’s output of 6 last weekend against Florida. Kentucky as a team finished with 14 assists on 26 made shots.
Maybe more impressive than Kentucky’s willingness to share the ball was the Cats lack of turnovers. Kentucky had only 5 turnovers the entire game, and forced the Bulldogs into 11 miscues. If the Wildcats can continue to play great defense, Georgia shot 28.3% from the field, and keep their turnovers to a minimum, they will difficult to stop in the SEC Tournament.
Who’s Next?
The Kentucky basketball team suits up again tomorrow afternoon against Alabama. The Crimson Tide defeated top seeded Auburn earlier today. Freshman phenom Collin Sexton led Bama with 31 points.