FINAL: Kentucky MBB survives first exhibition game; Sahvir Wheeler exits early

It sure wasn’t pretty, but Kentucky men’s basketball came away with its first win of the 2022-23 season on Sunday night in Rupp Arena.

The Wildcats were able to fend off Missouri Western State (Divison II), coached by former UK men’s basketball manager Will Martin, in the first of two exhibition games on the schedule. Kentucky ran away with the victory in the second half, winning by a final score of 56-38.

However, it didn’t happen without some bad news. Starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler knocked knees with an opposing player in the second half and did not return to the game. Additionally, reigning national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe sat out due to a minor injury.

In spite of the various ailments, Kentucky cruised down the stretch against an inferior opponent. Sharpshooting guard CJ Frederick led all scorers with 15 points on 4-6 shooting from 3-point range while senior forward Jacob Toppin added 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

As a team, the ‘Cats shot 40.4 percent from the floor and 31.8 percent from deep (7-22). Missouri Western shot just 30.8 percent overall and 2-15 from distance. The Griffons also turned the ball over 16 times compared to UK’s nine.

Final from Rupp.#GoBigBlue pic.twitter.com/VAgQxBwLfL

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 31, 2022

It was a slow start from the jump that would continue throughout the night. Missouri Western held the lead at the first media timeout by a score of 6-5, but the ‘Cats would take it back by the second break, 16-8. Toppin drilled a couple of turnaround jumpers while Frederick knocked down his first official 3-pointer as a ‘Cat.

Kentucky would eventually extend its lead to double-digits halfway through the first half, going up by as many as 14 points with roughly four minutes left until the intermission. But Will Martin’s squad didn’t go away that easily. The Griffons would cut the UK lead down to just eight at the break, 26-18. The ‘Cats shot over 40 percent from the floor but went just 2-11 from distance while turning the ball over six times. Toppin led the way with nine points.

Unfortunately, things didn’t get off to a better start in the second half. Missouri Western quickly made it a six-point game out of the locker room and continued to hang around. Kentucky would push the advantage back to double-figures a few minutes later, but at the nine-minute mark, the ‘Cats found themselves leading by just nine points, 42-33.

Kentucky would finally put the game away for good in the final 10 minutes. The lead swelled to double-digits as the ‘Cats went up by as many as 18 points, the final margin of the outcome. Cason Wallace caught fire in the second half, scoring all nine of his points in that frame. Adou Thiero and Antonio Reeves both added five points apiece while Ugonna Onyenso recorded four points, three rebounds, and five blocks.