HALF: Hot start gives Kentucky 42-32 lead over Florida A&M

Coming off a loss to UCLA over the weekend, Kentucky men’s basketball came out firing against Florida A&M.

The Wildcats hold a 42-32 lead over the Rattlers at halftime of Wednesday night’s game inside Rupp Arena. Kentucky got off to an early 16-2 lead before Florida A&M began to find a rhythm. Both sides are shooting 48 percent or better from the floor and a combined 10-19 from beyond the arc. Kentucky is winning the rebounding battle 17-11 and has turned the ball over just four times compared to Florida A&M’s nine.

CJ Fredrick leads all UK scorers with nine points on three made triples while Cason Wallace is up to seven points and five assists. Oscar Tshiebwe posted six points and two rebounds in 12 minutes of action. Head coach John Calipari rolled with a new starting lineup against Florida A&M, inserting Chris Livingston and Lance Ware in place of Antonio Reeves and Jacob Toppin.

Halftime in Rupp. pic.twitter.com/Uo39ZA81Xf

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 22, 2022

Florida A&M scored the first two points of the night, but the Rattlers immediately went on a five-minute scoring drought while Kentucky poured in 16 points. The Wildcats controlled a 25-10 advantage midway through the opening half before Florida A&M began to put points on the board.

The Rattlers continued to hit timely shots, preventing Kentucky from extending its lead to 20-plus. A made three-pointer by Florida A&M cut the UK lead to 10 at the under four-minute timeout. Another made jumper by the Rattlers made it a single-digit deficit before the ‘Cats stretched things out once again.

Kentucky quickly bounced back with a 6-0 run to make it 42-27 with a little over one minute remaining. However, Florida A&M responded, cutting it to just a 10-point gap at the break.