HALF: Kentucky leads Team Canada 45-39 in GLOBL Jam gold medal game

Only one more half separates Kentucky from winning a gold medal.

In the final game of the 2023 GLOBL Jam Tournament in Toronto, Canada, the Wildcats hold a 45-39 lead over Team Canada. Kentucky is shooting an even 50 percent from the floor and 5-13 from beyond the arc as freshman forward Justin Edwards leads the way with 17 points on 7-11 shooting to go along with four rebounds and two assists.

Fifth-year forward Tre Mitchell is UK’s second-leading scorer with 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists while Antonio Reeves, a fellow fifth-year player, added nine points on 3-5 shooting. 14 of the Wildcats 18 made field goals were assisted on. Canada’s Addison Patterson leads all teams with 18 points on 8-14 shooting.

20 minutes to go in #GLOBLJAM

Edwards – 17 PTS, 4 REB, 2 3PT
Mitchell – 10 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST
Reeves – 9 PTS pic.twitter.com/Q2HWzMiFhx

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 17, 2023

Kentucky came out not looking like a team that was playing its fourth game in five days. The early energy from the Wildcats led to immediate offensive success. UK was ahead 13-7 halfway through the opening period behind aggressive play from sophomore guard Adou Thiero along with two three-pointers and a beautiful backdoor assist from Mitchell.

Edwards would soon get in on the action, too. As part of his 10 first-quarter points, he chipped in a triple of his own and converted on a tough and-one finish. The Canadians eventually switched up its defense and rolled out a zone, although it didn’t slow down the ‘Cats — at least in the beginning. After the first frame, Kentucky led 25-14.

In the second period, Canada’s pesky defense made an impact. The Wildcats began to get sloppy on offense but were still playing steady enough on the other end to hold a comfortable lead. The Canadians would trim its deficit down to five, 29-25, before Reeves countered with an offensive flurry. The veteran took control of the UK offense and started hunting for his shots.

Canada would make another run down the stretch of the first half, keeping Kentucky within striking distance. However, they could never get UK’s lead below five points. A dunk from freshman guard Reed Sheppard was quickly followed up by a steal-and-score by Edwards that forced Canada into a timeout. Suddenly, Kentucky was up by nine with 30 seconds until the break.

Once we finally reached halftime, the ‘Cats were still in front by six 45-39. We’ll be back soon for the second half with a gold medal on the line. In the meantime, check out the first-half box score below.