Kentucky Wins GLOBL Jam Gold Medal with 89-72 Win over Canada

Team Canada tried hanging around, but Kentucky would not let the maple syrup sippers get the last laugh. The Wildcats held off multiple rallies to finish the GLOBL Jam with a clean slate and a gold medal, defeating the Canadians 89-72 Sunday night.

Justin Edwards and Tre Mitchell starred for Kentucky in the GLOBL Jam finale. The freshman phenom put the team on his back in the first half. He had 21 points in the first 23 minutes of basketball action. Edwards played through contact, he scored at the rim and he knocked down threes. Mitchell was money from downtown too, knocking down a pair of early long balls. He finished the night with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Despite the tandem’s terrific performances, Team Canada kept hanging around. They fell behind by as many as 14 in the opening period, then rallied in the second quarter. Addison Patterson stole a pass and scored to close out the half. The Canadians opened the third quarter with a bucket to make it a four-point game.

The Big Blue Nation did not have to sweat for long. The Cats cranked up the intensity and ran away with the game in the third quarter.

Canada cut the deficit to six points with 3:43 on the clock. Rob Dillingham responded by hitting a pair of three-pointers, an ‘and one‘ and one at the buzzer. It capped off a 14-1 run and gave Kentucky a 72-53 lead entering the final period.

Through the Wildcats’ four-game international exhibition tour, the young team showed a willingness to share the ball. That was once again the case Sunday night, assisting on 26 of 37 made field goals.

For the second straight year, Antonio Reeves was the summer leading scorer for Kentucky. However, the gold medal game was the only contest he did not score 20+ points. He made three three-pointers and tallied 18 points in the victory. DJ Wagner was the fourth Wildcat to score in double figures, finishing his tournament with 13 points and six assists.

After a rocky start to the offseason, four wins in Toronto re-injected energy and enthusiasm back into the Big Blue Nation. This Kentucky basketball team gave fans a lot of reasons to be optimistic ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Kentucky vs. Canada Gold Medal Game Box Score