LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Otega Oweh and Andrew Carr each scored 18 points and No. 8 Kentucky pulled away down the stretch to beat Western Kentucky 87-68 on Tuesday night.
Oweh’s 3-pointer with 8:57 remaining was key for the cold-shooting Wildcats (6-0), who made just 25 of 62 from the field (40%) after consecutive shooting performances of at least 54% in routs of Lipscomb and Jackson State. Kentucky shot just 8 of 29 from long range and even struggled at times from the free-throw line despite making 29 of 42.
Lamont Butler had 14 points for Kentucky.
Julius Thedford had 18 points and Babacar Faye 16 for the Hilltoppers (3-3), who had won their previous three games but shot just 21 of 66 (32%).
Takeaways
Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers made it close early and got within single digits, surprising considering they made consecutive baskets just three times all night. They made up for shooting woes by making 22 of 29 from the free-throw line.
Kentucky: After several blowout wins where shots fell regularly from everywhere, the Wildcats had more cold stretches than hot. Controlling the boards 54-41 helped them outscore WKU 14-7 on second-chance points and 34-30 in the paint, helping win an uneven game.
Key moment
Kentucky missed seven consecutive shots during one second-half stretch and only led 57-51 before Oweh’s layup provided an eight-point advantage. The Wildcats made 6 of 11 over the next 5 1/2 minutes to lead 75-57 and get the needed cushion to pull away. Amari Williams (eight points, 10 rebounds, four blocks) also had a goaltending call reversed on a later review.
Key stat
The teams combined to make just 12 of 55 from behind the arc.
Up next
Western Kentucky hosts Marshall on Saturday. Kentucky hosts Georgia State on Friday night.
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