Kentucky Beats Eastern Kentucky, 91 to 49
After opening the season with a huge win over #1 Michigan State, UK continues to impress with a 91 to 49 win over EKU. Kentucky’s defense picked up where they left off in the last game, holding Eastern scoreless for the first 7:03. This produced a 14-0 lead for the Wildcats and they never looked back! EKU struggled to get things going, as they were held to 25% from the field, as well 25% from behind the arc.
Nick Richards has breakout performance.
Since big man EJ Montgomery was out after suffering his own ankle injury, Coach Cal inserted Nick Richards into the UK starting lineup where he flourished against EKU. After his performance against the Michigan State Spartans, Richards may have gotten the nod regardless, but he certainly seized the opportunity to shine.
Richards led all players with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 1 assists. This all in came in 31 minutes of play, while picking up only 2 personal fouls after fouling out in the Michigan State game. Even more impressive, Nick converted on 10 of 11 shots, producing a blistering 90.9% field goal percentage, in his route to a double-double!
In the post game press conference, Coach Cal praised Nick Richards suggesting, “He’s in the greatest shape he’s ever been in and he’s built his own confidence now. Doesn’t matter what I say now and it doesn’t matter what I say if you’re not in great shape, you’re not going to have confidence. He still has a ways to go but he’s way better.”
Kentucky Showcases Depth
Even after setting the UK record for most points in a debut game, freshman Tyrese Maxey told Coach Cal he “trusts him” in continuing to come off the bench. That showcases a ton about this guy’s character, his ability to be a great teammate, and a lot about his own confidence to perform regardless of the scenarios he put in! He was 1 point shy of being the 7th Wildcat in double figures for scoring in the game. However, he did a little bit of everything again as he picked up 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
Kentucky showcases that they have several different options when it comes to scoring. Immanuel Quicklely picked up 16, Nate Sestina had 12, Ashton Hagans scored 11, Keion Brooks had a flashy 11, and Kahlil Whitney added 11 points. Did we mention that Sestina also added 11 rebounds, putting 2 Kentucky Wildcats in the double-double column.
