On Tuesday night, the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores in a basketball game with a final score of 69-53. Leading the way for Kentucky was junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored 15 points and had a game-high 13 rebounds, including 2 offensive rebounds. Junior guard Jacob Toppin also had a strong game, scoring 12 points on 6-7 shooting, and senior guard Antonio Reeves added 16 points. Junior guard C.J. Fredrick contributed 10 points and 5 assists. Kentucky shot well overall, finishing the game with a 56.4% field goal percentage and 37.5% from 3 point range. The team also dominated on the glass, outrebounding Vanderbilt 37-24, and had a strong performance in the second half where they scored 33 points.
In addition to their strong overall performance, Kentucky also excelled in several specialty areas. The team’s bench contributed 20 points and the Wildcats scored 36 points in the paint. Kentucky also had a solid performance in fastbreak points, scoring 9 and had a good performance in 2nd chance points with 8. They were also efficient in their scoring attempts, with a scoring percentage of 56.1%. The team was able to capitalize on Vanderbilt’s turnovers and scored 2 points off turnovers and they had a strong possession game, ending with 57 possessions, 32 scores and 1.211 points per possession.
Offensively, Kentucky had a strong performance throughout the game, with the last field goal made by junior guard Sahvir Wheeler with 3:31 remaining in the game. They had a steady lead throughout the game, with their largest lead being 20 points at the 2nd-05:51 mark of the game. They also had a strong run of 10-0. The win improves Kentucky’s record to 4-2 in the SEC.
Leading the way for Vanderbilt was junior guard Malik Dia, who scored 14 points on 5-11 shooting and made 4-5 from 3-point range. Senior forward Tyrein Lawrence also had a strong game, scoring 12 points on 4-10 shooting and hitting 4-4 from the free throw line. Vanderbilt struggled from the field, finishing the game with a 32.7% field goal percentage and 35.3% from 3 point range. The team also struggled on the glass, being outrebounded 37-24.
Offensively, Vanderbilt had a difficult time throughout the game, shooting just 29.2% in the first half. They also had a difficult time on the boards, grabbing just 8 offensive rebounds and 16 defensive rebounds. The team also struggled with turnovers, committing 4 in the game. The loss drops Vanderbilt’s record to 0-6 in the SEC.
