Kentucky Sweeps the BBN Showcase With Win Over UAB
By Peggy Gilligan
Once again Kentucky played shorthanded after Nate Sestina fractured his left wrist in practice on Tuesday. The Cats had little problem securing the win over UAB 69-58 in front of a roaring crowd in Rupp Arena this evening.
Nick Richards started things off with a dunk followed by Ashton Hagans with a field goal for an early 4-0 lead. This prompted Coach Ehsan to call a quick time out to regroup his Blazers. The Blazers then calmed down and were able to lead the Cats 7-4 at the 15:00 mark of the first half. After that the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run and had little problem securing a halftime score of 38-25.
Kentucky shot 50% from the field, 46% from the 3 point line and were 3 of 4 from the free throw line for 75% in the first half. All eight players for Kentucky scored in the first half lead by EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards both with 8 points and combined for 10 rebounds. EJ Montgomery looked as if the ankle issue that kept him out of three games was behind him and played well.
After the game Coach Cal said Nick Richards was good toady. His much improved play seems to have given him confidence with has led to better play around the rim. With Sestina out for approximately four weeks Coach Calipari said Keion Brooks and Kahlil Whitney would be getting more playing time and both need to work on defense and then the offense will follow. He also stated that the team needed better toughness and get more offensive rebounds.
After playing 6 games in 20 days the team will only have 6 games over the next 40 days. This will give them lots of practice time to work and gain confidence according to Cal. Next up for Kentucky on December 7th against Fairleigh Dickinson University at Rupp Arena.