Kentucky shines early: 3 Stars, highlights and key stats from Wildcats' domination over Lipscomb

No Duke hangover here, as the Cats came out firing on all cylinders against Lipscomb, establishing early dominance in the first half of what looks to be another statement game. Riding the momentum of their recent Champions Classic victory over Duke, Kentucky wasted no time, jumping out to a 13-4 lead by the first TV timeout.

Kentucky surged to a 26-10 lead by the 8-minute mark, powered by balanced scoring and stifling defense. Despite a brief offensive lull over the next six minutes, the Wildcats still outpaced Lipscomb 10-9, pushing the lead to 36-19. The Wildcats closed the half strong, with Koby Brea's three-pointer extending the lead to 20 points before Lipscomb chipped away late to trail 43-26 at halftime.

First half stats

Kentucky:

Field Goals (FG): 14-28 (50%)

Three-Point Shooting (3PT): 8-13 (61.5%)

Free Throws (FT): 7-10 (70%)

Rebounds: 24 (2 offensive, 22 defensive)

Top Performers:
Jaxson Robinson: 13 points, including 2-4 from beyond the arc and a perfect 5-5 from the line.

Lamont Butler: 9 points, with 2-2 from deep and solid perimeter defense.

Amari Williams: 7 rebounds, anchoring the Wildcats’ defensive presence in the paint.

Lipscomb

Field Goals (FG): 9-34 (26.5%)

Three-Point Shooting (3PT): 2-19 (10.5%)

Free Throws (FT): 6-6 (100%)

Rebounds: 16 (3 offensive, 13 defensive)

Key Takeaways

The Wildcats held Lipscomb to a dismal 26.5% shooting, including just 2-19 (10.5%) from three-point range, while forcing three turnovers; while Kentucky shot 50% from the field and a scorching 61.5% from three-point range,

Star of the Half

Jaxson Robinson

The second half started much like the first, a big time put back from Amari Williams, and Kentucky pushed to a 63-38 lead:

The Cats continued their dominance the whole second half, leading 83-48 at the under 8 timeout. The crowd also roared when Trent Noah and Travis Perry entered the game with just over 6 minutes to go. Kentucky had pushed the lead out to 92-55 with under 4 to play. The only question was could the Cats hit the century mark.

The Cats couldn't quite hit 100, but they handle business 97-68.

3 Stars of the night:

1. Jaxson Robinson

Surprisingly, Robinson has been under 10 points on the year, tonight he looked for his shot and came out agressive. He finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds on 6-10 shooting.

2. Lamont Butler

If Lamont can be a consistent shooter like he was tonight, Kentucky won't lose too many this year. He finishes with 16 on 6 of 8 shooting and some great defense.

3. Otega Oweh

Team Totals:

• Field Goals (FG): 34-62 (54.8%)
• Three-Point Shooting (3PT): 12-25 (48.0%)
• Free Throws (FT): 17-21 (81.0%)
• Rebounds (Total): 43 (9 offensive, 34 defensive)
• Assists (AST): 10
• Steals (STL): 3
• Blocks (BLK): 6
• Turnovers (TO): 8
• Personal Fouls (PF): 14
• Total Points (PTS): 97

Individual Standouts:

Starters

• Andrew Carr (#7): 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
• Amari Williams (#22): 9 points, 11 rebounds 2 assists, 2 blocks
• Otega Oweh (#0): 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3-4 from the free-throw line
• Jaxson Robinson (#2): 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3-6 from three-point range
• Lamont Butler (#1): 16 points, 3-3 from three-point range, 1 rebound, 1 assist

Bench Contributions:

• Trent Noah (#9): Limited minutes with no scoring
• Ansley Almonor (#15): 6 points, 2 rebounds, perfect 3-3 from the free-throw line
• Brandon Garrison (#10): 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks
• Collin Chandler (#5): 5 points, 1 assist, 1 steal
• Travis Perry (#11): Scored first 2 points of Kentucky career, limited minutes
• Kerr Kriisa (#77): 3 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound
• Koby Brea (#4): 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3-3 from three-point range

Kentucky is back in action Friday against Jackson State.