Late second quarter run fuels UK runaway

Wildcats extend 17-point halftime lead to 92-48 victory

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Kellan Grady spoiled Tubby Smith’s return to Rupp Arena, making seven 3-pointers Friday to lead No. 18 Kentucky to a 92-48 victory over High Point.

The Kentucky Wildcats went on a 17-3 run to end the first half and blow open a surprisingly close game to an 18-point halftime lead and then hardly looked back (click for stats, notes uk high point).

And while the game ended up not being close, the day was more about former UK and current High Point coach Orlando ‘Tubby’ Smith, whose jersey was retired in a ceremony prior to the tip off. Smith coached the Cats to the 1998 NCAA title and several SEC totals while winning an average of 27 games while at the UK helm.

And UK, which extended its record to 11-2, may still have still been caught up in that moment and High Point inspired for the first half’s first 15 minutes but that all was lost once the Cats got going.

High Point closed to 47-34 on Zach Austin’s 3-pointer with 17:14 left in the game, but Grady responded with three more 3s to help the Wildcats pull away.

In the end, 11 UK players scored with four in double figures. Kellan Grady led the way with 23, hitting seven-of-10 from three-point range. Oscar Tshiebwe and TyTy Washington Jr. added 15 each. Tshiebwe added eight rebounds. Davion Mintz  had 10 points on five-of-eight shooting. His only misses came from behind the arc.

For Grady, the 6-5 graduate transfer from Davidson, it was the second big game hitting from outside. Partnered with Tshiebwe, the two give UK a tough inside-outside tandem, especially when others are contributing.

Overall, the Cats shot 59 percent from the field with many coming on fast-breaks or shots in the paint. The team hit 38 percent from three-point range. It scored 44 points in the paint, 117 second-chance points, and 20 on fast breaks. The bench chipped in 28 points.

Kentucky outrebounded High Point 45-27, continuing its string as the nation’s top rebounding team.

Smith coached Kentucky for 10 years from 1997-2007, winning the NCAA title in 1998. The High Point alum was hired to coach the Panthers in March 2018.

Kentucky honored Smith with a raised jersey in Rupp, but it wasn’t very hospitable during the game.

Austin and John-Michael Wright each had 12 points and six rebounds for High Point (6-8).

UP NEXT

High Point opens Big South Conference play at home against Winthrop on Wednesday.

Kentucky faces a challenging SEC road opener on Tuesday at No. 16 LSU.