Tshiebwe carries Cats to 69-59 win over Yale
Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe scored two of his game-high 28 points in Saturday's game against Yale. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Struggling to find consistent offense in the first half against a determined Yale squad, Kentucky turned to its most reliable option on Saturday at Rupp Arena.
Reigning national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe scored 22 of his game-high 28 points in the second half and pulled down 12 rebounds in leading the Wildcats to a 69-59 win over the Ivy League's Bulldogs.
"There's two things that didn't happen in the first half," UK head coach John Calipari said. "He didn't demand the ball... The second thing in the first half, when he had shots, he was passing them. I told him to quit passing, score the ball, they can't guard you."
Tshiebwe obliged.
After Yale scored eight straight points to open the second half and take a 35-33 lead, Tshiebwe scored 12 consecutive points to help put the Cats back on top. He had 16 of UK's 24 points during an extended spurt that helped give UK a double-figure lead and ultimately proved to be the final margin of victory.
Yale found success double-teaming Tshiebwe in the first half, but as Bulldogs head coach James Jones said, "it's hard to do for 40 minutes without something leaking."
“At the end of the day, I think in basketball, you have to decide what you are going to do," UK point guard Sahvir Wheeler said. "Are you going to let Oscar score every time or are you going to let the guys who can make some shots, make shots? It’s a hard thing, you have to pick your poison. I think the first half, it took us a minute to realize that."
No. 16 Kentucky (7-2) also got 10 points apiece from Wheeler and fellow guard Antonio Reeves. The Cats shot 50% from the field and became the first opponent to outrebound Yale this season, claiming a narrow 31-30 edge on the glass.
The Bulldogs (8-3) held their own despite playing without their best player, junior forward Matt Knowling (16.2 ppg), who missed the game with an injury.
"That's a tournament team," Calipari said of Yale, which was led by forwards Jack Molloy and EJ Jarvis with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
“I thought our team played hard. I thought they played well," Jones said. "I thought we had a few lapses that hurt us. In the game were a couple of two or three minutes stretches where they got out of control and we let some things get away from us."
Kentucky held the Bulldogs to 19 points below their season scoring average, six percentage points under their season field goal percentage of .490, and 11 rebounds under their season average of 40.5 on the glass. The Cats also forced 15 turnovers.
*****
In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK game...
KEY MOMENT:
Oscar Tshiebwe's surge in the early moments of the second half proved to be the difference. Kentucky trailed 35-33 with 17:24 remaining when the Cats' big man took over in the paint. He scored 16 points during a 24-12 spurt that determined the game.
GAME BALL:
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky -- Easy choice today. The reigning national palyer of the year may not be at 100% yet after his knee was scoped prior to the season, but he's showing signs of getting closer with a 28-point, 12-rebound effort, his fifth double-double of the season. He played through a lot of bumps and bruises today and should have gone to the line more than just three times for an even bigger offensive performance. He was just two points shy of his career scoring high.
BY THE NUMBERS:
2-0 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series against Yale.
3rd - Time this season that UK has shot 50% or better from the field.
+14 - Rating for UK forward Jacob Toppin today. He had four points, five rebounds, and four assists.
25 - Game home winning streak for Kentucky at Rupp Arena, the third-longest streak in the nation.
40-18 - UK advantage for points in the paint.
208-9 - The Cats' record under John Calipari when holding an opponent to 63 points or less.
QUOTABLE:
"When we figured out we could throw it inside, it gave us a gap and some space." -- UK head coach John Calipari
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday against UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. The No. 19 Bruins (8-2) will face No. 13 Maryland on Wedenesday prior to taking on the Cats in a marquee matchup between the two programs with the most NCAA championships. Tipoff is slated for 5:15 ET on CBS.
