No. 9 Kentucky uses speed, 3-pointers to throttle Jackson State

Field Level Media|published: Fri 22nd November, 21:42 2024

NCAA Basketball: Jackson State at Kentucky

Nov 22, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Koby Brea (4) makes a three point basket during the second half against the Jackson State Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Koby Brea scored 22 points as No. 9 Kentucky used a potent fastbreak attack and impressive 3-point shooting to remain undefeated with a 108-59 rout of visiting Jackson State on Friday at the BBN Invitational Lexington, Ky.

The Wildcats (5-0) scored 43 fastbreak points and hit a season-best 17 3-pointers on 39 attempts (43.6 percent) en route to their third 100-point game this season. Kentucky outscored Jackson State 44-32 in the paint and threw down 11 dunks to the Tigers' two.

Brea shot 8-of-11 from the floor and drilled 5 of 8 3-pointers for the Wildcats, who also got 21 points and three steals from Otega Oweh. Jaxson Robinson tallied 14 points, including four threes, while Lamont Butler chipped in 11 points and five assists.

Jackson State (0-6) led for just 16 seconds in the early going and trailed by double digits for the game's final 31:53. The Tigers did battle gamely on the backboard, losing the rebounding battle just 41-40.

Marcus Watson Jr. paced the visitors with 12 points and freshman Dorian McMillian added 11 points. JSU connected on just 23 of 69 shots (33.3 percent) and finished just 4-of-21 (19 percent) from 3-point range.

Jackson State grabbed a 5-3 advantage before Robinson answered with his second 3-pointer.

Robinson added a third trey to help Kentucky open an 18-7 lead with 14:55 left in the opening half. Jackson State pulled to within 18-12, but the Wildcats then ran off a 15-2 run to stretch their advantage to 33-14 with 9:03 left in the first half.

Kentucky extended the first-half lead to 26 and held a 54-30 edge at halftime. Jackson State never pulled closer than 23 points for the remainder of the game. The Wildcats' lead peaked at 51 (108-57) in the final minute after a 12-0 run before Watson made the last basket of the game.

Kentucky hosts Western Kentucky on Tuesday, while Jackson State visits Lipscomb on Sunday.

The Wildcats beat Lipscomb 97-68 last Tuesday and the Tigers fell to Western Kentucky 79-62 last Wednesday.

--Field Level Media