'Great response' Cats used team effort to get back on track

LEXINGTON, Ky. (KT) — Kentucky counted on its veterans to avoid a rare sweep by Vanderbilt Wednesday night.

Otega Owah scored 20 points to lead the No. 17 Wildcats to an 82-61 win over the Commodores, avenging an earlier-season 74-69 loss to Vandy in Nashville. Kentucky (18-8, 6-7 Southeastern Conference) broke open a close encounter by outscoring the guests 41-21 in the second half.
Amid late-season lineup changes because of injuries to starters Lamont Butler (shoulder) and Jaxson Robinson (wrist), the Wildcats have learned to adjust with a makeshift starting lineup and getting contributions from the reserves.

“This was a great response by our guys,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “I’m really incredibly proud of our guys. We're learning as fast as we can with this new roster. We got a bunch of guys stepping up and I thought they did a great job.”

Pope said the late-season adjustment with lineup changes remains a “work in progress" despite the team's easy victory over Vandy.

“It's a brand new season and I think it'll give them a lot of confidence,” Pope said. “We had fun, and we had such huge contributions from everybody. This is a team that beat us down at their place.”

Vanderbilt coach Mark Mark Byington said the Wildcats turned it up a notch after the game on Jan. 25 in Nashville.

“I thought Kentucky was at a higher level today.” he said. “Their efficiency on offense, their execution, their shot-making, everything from 12-of-12 free throws in the first half to just finishing threes.”

Playing a second straight game without two of their top players, the Wildcats flourished against the Commodores. Behind Oweh, Kentucky’s veteran players combined for 69 points. Amari Williams (17), Koby Brea (12), Andrew Carr (11) and Ansley Almonor (9) followed the precedent set by Oweh in the double-digit victory.

Carr tallied double-figures for the first time since scoring 10 at Ole Miss on Feb. 4. Carr returned to the starting lineup after dealing with back issues. Pope welcomed a healthy Carr with Butler and Robinson on the bench. Carr's last start was against Alabama on Jan. 18.

“For the last month we felt like we've been without three of our leaders in Lamont, Jaxson and Andrew,” Pope said. He’s been working so hard to find his way back. I thought he was brilliant. He really did look like his old, physical, attacking self.”
While the veterans provided a bulk of the scoring, newcomers Collin Chandler, Travis Perry and Trent Noah also contributed, with Chandler scoring a career-high seven points off the bench.

“I thought Collin just gave us a massive boost tonight energy wise,” Pope said. “…. he is going to help us in a huge way as we move down the stretch.”

Perry knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and tallied six, while Noah provided a defensive presence while guarding Vanderbilt’s top scorer Jason Edwards.

The bounce-back performance following a disappointing 82-78 loss at Texas last Saturday gave the Wildcats momentum going into Saturday’s contest at No. 4 Alabama.

"I'm happy for our guys that they get this little injection of energy — right positive energy," Pope said. "It's like, OK, we've got a brand new team and in Game 1, we played well, but we didn't finish the way we wanted (at Texas). They've got a big challenge of all challenges going to Alabama and and seeing if we can deal with that insanity down there."

Gametracker: Kentucky at Alabama, 6 p.m. Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network.