Kentucky Basketball Ends Exhibition Trip with Competitive 98-74 Win over Bahamas
Similar to previous international destinations, Kentucky completed its foreign trip without a ton of early enthusiasm in its final game. John Calipari’s Kentucky basketball team responded to some early adversity to defeat the Bahamas Select Team 98-74 in its most competitive game from the Baha Mar Resort.
The two teams played within ten points of one another for 30 minutes. The Bahamas’ physicality posed some early problems before the Wildcats woke up and pulled away for another big win. Oscar Tshiebwe had another double-double, this time with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Jacob Toppin rose to the occasion during critical moments to score 20 points, while Sahvir Wheeler played arguably his most complete game of the trip to the Caribbean. Antonio Reeves led the Wildcats in scoring with 22 points to earn MVP honors for the four-game trip. It was a great way to wrap up an outstanding week in the Big Blue Bahamas.
Outstanding Response to End First Half
The sluggish start was understandable. After all, it was the fourth Kentucky basketball game and five days, taking place just 16 hours after the previous game. The Bahamas Select Team turned up the intensity. After hanging around for 10 minutes, Bahamas went on a 11-1 run to take a 32-24 lead.
Kentucky punched back in the final five minutes of the first half. The Wildcats responded with defense, turning stops into easy offense. Jacob Toppin and Antonio Reeves scored 11 points in a 13-2 Kentucky run to retake the lead. Bahamas only made one field goal in the final five minutes of the half.
Sahvir Wheeler wouldn’t let Kentucky go to the locker room trailing. His coast-to-coast finger-roll dropped as time expired to give him 14 points in the opening 20 minutes and a one-point UK lead. Wheeler finished the night with 21 points.
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Early Kentucky Struggles from the Three-Point Line
Similar to game two against Monterrey Tech, Kentucky started slow from long range before the shots started falling. The Wildcats entered the matchup with the Bahamas shooting 40% from three. Kentucky made only one of their first ten attempts. Once the threes dropped, the Kentucky lead grew. Toppin and Cason Wallace sunk a few early ones in the second half to give the Cats some much-needed cushion.
Antonio Threeves Gets Hot
The Kentucky basketball team broke the game open thanks to inside-out action from Oscar Tshiebwe to Antonio Reeves. The Illinois State transfer got hot from downtown in the second half. He hit five straight shots, including three-pointers in three consecutive possessions, to give Kentucky its first double-digit lead of the night. Reeves scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half. The Wildcats finished the night 7-of-23 from three-point land.
Daimion Collins Did Something Crazy
It’s not a Kentucky basketball win until Daimion Collins does something that humans should not be able to do.
Kentucky vs. Bahamas Box Score
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