No. 9 Kentucky men’s basketball moves to 2-0 with Louisville game looming

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 News Now) — The No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Valparaiso Beacons 107–59 inside Rupp Arena on Friday night. The win moves the Wildcats to 2–0 to start the season, with both victories coming by 15 or more points.

The Wildcats were led by a balanced attack in Friday night’s contest. All five starters scored in double figures, along with freshman Malachi Moreno, who came off the bench to record his first career double-double and led the game in rebounds. The Wildcats also showed significant improvement at the charity stripe, going 22-for-26 (84.6%).

Jaland Lowe made his Kentucky debut on Friday night. Lowe missed the two exhibition games as well as Tuesday’s season opener against Nicholls due to a shoulder injury suffered in the Blue-White Scrimmage. In his debut, Lowe scored six points and dished out five assists in the win.

Kentucky’s next game will take the Wildcats down I-64 to Louisville for their annual rivalry matchup against the Cardinals. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.