UNC Wilmington pulls stunning upset over No. 12 Kentucky

Field Level Media|published: Sat 2nd December, 18:45 2023

Dec 2, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks guard Donovan Newby (1) shoots the ball against Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard (15) during the first half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. credits: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Trazarien White scored 27 points and had 10 rebounds off the bench, and visiting UNC Wilmington found its long-range shooting touch to upset No. 12 Kentucky 80-73 in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday.

Kentucky was an 18.5-point favorite.

White scored 18 of his points in the second half and cemented the game with a pair of free throws with seven seconds left.

Donovan Newby added 15 points and Shykeim Phillips had 13 points, including six in the last three minutes, as UNCW put the game away.

The Seahawks (6-2), of the Coastal Athletic Conference, hit 11 of 31 3-pointers after making just 3 of 23 from long range in a 74-66 loss to East Carolina on Thursday.

The win was the first for UNCW against a ranked opponent on the road in program history.

Kentucky (6-2) came into the game averaging 94.4 points per game, third best in the nation, but UNCW's defense stymied the SEC powerhouse all game and forced 13 turnovers.

Kentucky got 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists from Reed Sheppard and 14 points from Antonio Reeves.

The Seahawks led for the entire first half, with KJ Jenkins leading the way with 9 points. UNC Wilmington hit 8 of 20 3-point attempts in the half.

Kentucky finally got its first lead at 48-46 with 15:38 left on a 3-pointer by Sheppard after a run in which the Wildcats made 5 of 6 shots.

Kentucky 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw - a top-10 recruit who had been out since March with a fractured foot — made his debut and scored his first points on a two-handed dunk with 13:36 left in the first half.

Wildcats guard DJ Wagner, who is averaging 13.1 points per game, was scratched from the game after suffering an ankle injury Tuesday in Kentucky's 95-73 blowout win over No. 8 Miami.

—Field Level Media