Lexington, Ky – November 9, 2024 – Michael Willis
Kentucky defeated the Bucknell Bison earlier today 100-72 in another blowout victory. The Bison entered the game winning their first two matchups of the season, but left with their first loss of the season. It was the first time since the 78-79 season that the Cats scored over a hundred points in the first two game of the season. The Wildcats are now perfect on the season before their first game outside of Rupp Arena, when the team travels to Atlanta to take on Duke on Tuesday night.
The Cats took the lead early in the game right after Noah Williamson, Bucknell’s seven-foot leading scorer, picked up his second foul with 17:51 left in the first half. The Cats went on a 19-4 run right after he left the game and gave the Cats a 20-7 lead with 13 minutes left in the half. The Cats were unable to pull away from the Bison for good due to missing six shots in a row. However, they eventually found their shot making 5 of their last 8 attempts and took a 47-31 lead at the half.
The Wildcats and the Bison traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half. Midway through the second half the Cats went on a streak of making 5 three pointers in less than 3 minutes which pushed the lead to over 20 and out of reach for Bucknell.
Koby Brea was the player of the game scoring 20 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Brea made 6 of this 8 three-point attempts. It was another impressive game for Amari Williams who earned another double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
It was another impressive win for the Wildcats. Even though it felt like they were not shooting well they finished shooting 48% from the field and making 36% of their three-pointers. The biggest area of improvement for Kentucky was rebounding. Kentucky ended the game with 57 rebounds while holding Bucknell to 35. It also led to 19 second chance points for the Cats.
Kentucky’s next challenge is the Champions Classic to face off against the Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday, November 12th. The Cats will play in the second game with an approximate tip time of 9pm.