College basketball final: Kentucky 86, New Mexico State 46
The Kentucky men’s basketball team tips off the 2023-24 regular season by facing the New Mexico State Aggies on Monday at Rupp Arena for an 8 p.m. tipoff.
The game will be televised by the SEC Network.
For updates, follow Ben Roberts at @BenRobertsHL, Mark Story at @markcstory. Cameron Drummond at @cdrummond97 and myself at @johnclayiv on Twitter/X.
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Final: Kentucky 86, New Mexico State 46
▪ UK cruises to a 40-point win in the season opener.
▪ Kentucky now with five players in double figures. Cats up 74-46 on New Mexico State with 5:09 left at Rupp.
▪ Kentucky rolling now, up 65-44 with 7:08 left. Sheppard leads the way with 12 points. Reeves has 11. Robert Dillingham and Justin Edwards each have 10. UK is shooting 52.4% the second half.
Rob Dillingham with a flashy pass to Jordan Burks for a strong dunk to finish it. Then a Reeves layup in transition. Kentucky up 19 with 12 minutes left.
— Ben Roberts (@BenRobertsHL) November 7, 2023
▪ Kentucky has extended its lead to 54-35 and New Mexico State wants time with 11:44 left at Rupp. Cats have eight steals on the night. The visiting Aggies are yet to record a steal.
▪ Cats with an 11-2 advantage on points off turnovers. Up 50-35 with 13:24 left. Kentucky with four turnovers, compared to nine for New Mexico State. Antonio Reeves leads UK with nine points.
▪ Kentucky up 48-33 with 14:54 left at Rupp Arena. UK has made four of its five shots this half.
Halftime: Kentucky 37, New Mexico State 29
▪ Reed Sheppard provided a spark as Kentucky leads New Mexico State 37-29 at halftime. Sheppard had eight points, three rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
HALF: Kentucky 37, New Mexico State 29.
Reed Sheppard: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Antonio Reeves: 8 points (2/3 on 3s)
Adou Thiero: 5 points, 6 rebounds
D.J. Wagner: 2 points, 3 assists— Ben Roberts (@BenRobertsHL) November 7, 2023
At 3:05 mark, Kentucky shooting just 33.3 %. Cats have made 9 of 27 shots, including 3 of 11 from 3-point range. Lead 27-20.
▪ Highlight play by Reed Sheppard, with the back tip resulting in a steal. D.J. Wagner saved the ball up ahead to Sheppard for a fast break jam. Kentucky 25, New Mexico State 20 with 5:10 left in first half.
Reed Sheppard with a nice steal and dunk. Kentucky leads 27-20 with 3:05 left. @BenRobertsHL @KentuckySports pic.twitter.com/4Uz9nwHOay
— Silas Walker (@sigh_las) November 7, 2023
▪ New Mexico State had cut UK’s lead to 17-15, but Cats up 23-17 with 7:32 left in first half. Cats are 7 of 20 from the floor for 35%. They are 3 of 10 from 3-point range. New Mexico State is shooting 27.3%.
▪ Kentucky up 17-10 on New Mexico State with 11:42 left in first half. UK has a 10-6 rebound advantage. Adou Thiero leads with three boards.
▪ Kentucky up 10-6 at the 14:04 TV time. After falling behind 6-2, Cats are on an 8-0 run. New Mexico State is 2 of 8 from the floor. UK is 4 of 9.
▪ Officials for Kentucky-New Mexico State are Pat Adams, Josue Nieves and Landon Brandes.
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