Basketball ***** Postgame Notes - UK 105, Georgia State 76 *****

[Jeff Drummond]

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY
NOV. 29, 2024
ATTENDANCE: 19,914

Final Score: #8 Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 7-0 and Georgia State is 4-4.
• Kentucky leads the series 3-0, with two games played in Lexington.
• Mark Pope is now 194-108 as a head coach, including 7-0 at Kentucky.
  • Pope is 2-0 vs. Georgia State.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats begin a two-game road swing Tuesday at Clemson in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Game time is 9:30 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPN.

Team Notes

• Kentucky has a 7-0 start for the first time since the 2016-17 team won its first seven.
  • The UK men’s and women’s teams are each 7-0. It is the fifth time in school history that each team began at least 7-0, including 2015-16, 2011-12, 2009-10 and 1982-83.
• The Cats are 6-0 inside Rupp Arena on the year and are averaging exactly 100 points per home contest. Tonight marked UK’s fourth 100-point game of the season.
  • Overall, the Wildcats entered the game third in the nation in scoring with an average of 95.3 points per game.
• Seven Wildcats scored in double figures for the first time this season. The last time that happened was March 2 of this year at home vs. Arkansas.
• Kentucky won the rebounding, 36-27, and has won the rebounding in six of seven games this season. In the other game, UK trailed Duke by only one board.
  • UK entered the game leading the nation in defensive rebounds, 35.2 per game.
• Kentucky won the turnover battle 18-9 and capitalized at a remarkable rate, winning points off turnovers 36-8.
• Entering the game fourth in the nation in assists, UK had 23 tonight, as five players had at least three. The Wildcats are now averaging 21.1 helpers per game.
  • The Cats have an assist rate of 61.2% for the season with 148 assists on 242 made FGs.

Player Notes

• Jaxson Robinson led the Wildcats with 19 points, his fourth double-figure game of the season.
• Lamont Butler had 17 points, his fourth straight game in double figures, and game highs with six assists and three steals.
• After going scoreless with only one rebound in the first half, Amari Williams collected 14 points and five boards in the second stanza.
• Otega Oweh had 12 points and has scored double figures in every game this season.
• Ansley Almonor had a season-high 12 points, his third double-figure game of the season.
• Andrew Carr totaled 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
• Koby Brea had 10 points and has made at least two 3-pointers in every game this season.

In the First Half

• Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams for the seventh consecutive game.
  • First subs were Koby Brea and Ansley Almonor at 15:42.
• Georgia State scored the first three points but the Wildcats tallied seven straight and led the remainder of the game.
• Kentucky stretched the lead to 10 points at 20-10 but the Panthers clawed back within 31-29 at the 5:06 mark.
• The Wildcats responded as Almonor swished a 3-pointer from the right corner, Carr muscled his way for a basket-and-one, Oweh dunked a fast break, Oweh hit two foul shots and Kriisa drained a 3-pointer to give UK a 13-0 run and 44-29 lead.
• Kentucky led at halftime 48-33. The Wildcats shot 67.9 percent from the field, including 15 of 17 on two-point attempts. Butler paced the scoring with 13 points.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starting lineup.
• UK was up by 12 when a 6-0 Georgia State spurt halved the lead at 59-53, coaxing a Wildcat timeout with 13:30 remaining.
• UK led 61-53 with 12:37 remaining when the game was stopped for an altercation.
  • GSU’s Clash Peters was called for an intentional foul.
  • UK’s Brea and GSU’s Zarique Nutter were called for offsetting contact technical fouls.
  • When play resumed, Williams made two free throws for the intentional foul. UK got the ball, Williams was fouled and made both ends of a 1-and-1 to make it 65-53.
• UK steadily increased the advantage, leading by as many as 35 points at 105-70.