Kentucky starts hot, finishes cold to take 38-36 halftime lead vs. Colgate

Kentucky started hot on both ends, jumping out to an impressive 17-0 start less than six minutes into the game with Colgate not scoring its first bucket until the 13:20 mark. That turned into an 11-0 run for the Raiders, though, leading to a way-too-close-for-comfort finish to close out the rest of the first half given the competition. Slowly but surely chipping away down the stretch, the Patriot League foe cut it to two at the break with the Wildcats leading 38-36.

Koby Brea is doing his job, shooting an impressive 4-4 from three en route to a team-high 12 points while adding four rebounds in 16 minutes. Elsewhere, Kentucky hasn’t made a single 3-pointer, starting an abysmal 4-15 from deep for 26.7 percent while shooting 37.1 percent from the field overall. Andrew Carr and Amari Williams have added seven points apiece, followed by Otega Oweh with five, Jaxson Robinson with three and Brandon Garrison and Ansley Almonor with two each.

Parker Jones leads Colgate with nine, followed by Chandler Baker and Kyle Carlesimo with six apiece. The Raiders are shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three at the break.

The difference? 14 bench points for Colgate compared to just four for Kentucky. Despite earning early playing time, Travis Perry, Collin Chandler and Trent Noah have combined for zero points on 0-5 shooting and 0-4 from three — a steep drop-off from the starters.

20 minutes to get some breathing room and turn it around.