Blue grit: Lowe helps rally Kentucky past St. John's
Only seven seconds after checking into Saturday’s game against St. John’s, Jaland Lowe appeared to be headed toward another frustrating setback when he reaggravated a right shoulder that has plagued his first season at Kentucky.
Much to Big Blue Nation’s surprise — and perhaps even that of his own coaches and teammates — Lowe returned to the court in the second half, leading the Wildcats to a 78-66 victory over the No. 22 Red Storm at the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta.
The junior guard scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, dished out three assists, and generally helped stabilize a turnover-prone offense which had put UK in a 10-point hole late in the first half.
“This reference may be too old for BBN,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said, “but there’s this great scene in The Karate Kid where Miagi claps his hands together, and I’m pretty sure that’s what (UK’s trainers) did at halftime… He said, ‘Coach, I want to go try,’ and he was incredible in the second half.”
“That’s just our identity, to fight,” Lowe said.
Added Pope: “J-Lowe going out kinda sent shivers through us all. We were pretty dysfunctional (on offense) but it didn’t affect our energy and intensity on the defensive side of the ball. That’s something we’ve focused on the last several weeks. To see, again, our guys hanging in there on the defensive side and never losing energy, was so important to the DNA of this team.”
Kentucky (8-4) extended its season-long win streak to three games.
The Cats did so on the strength of holding St. John’s (7-4) to a 33% shooting day and winning the battle on the glass 39-28.
Jayden Quaintance, making his first appearance for UK coming off knee surgery in February, was a big part of that effort. The 6-foot-9 sophomore center scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked two shots in just 17 minutes of play.
“I’ve been a competitor my whole life,” Quaintance said. “… It was great to be back out there.”
“He responded brilliantly,” Pope said. “… For JQ to have the courage to come out here and compete fearlessly like he did today was pretty fun. He’s going to be a real important piece of what we do.”
Kentucky used a 21-6 run midway through the second half to break open what had been a close game. Sophomore guard Kam Williams scored nine of his 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, during the spurt to help the Cats take control.
Lowe also had three buckets during the key stretch.
“I congratulate UK with a great second half,” St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino said. “The big difference is when Lowe comes in the game. They’re a different basketball team. He makes people better.”
Otega Oweh gave UK a fourth player in double-figure scoring. The senior guard led the way with a game-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals.
“He is a unique player,” Pope said. “When he does what he does, it has such a massive impact on our team. These guys follow his vibe. When he’s physical, our team is physical. When he cuts hard, our team cuts hard. When he’s talking, our team talks. It’s a big burden for him to carry, but he’s kinda working in that direction where he understands it and is embracing it more.”
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In our regular postgame feature, Cats Illustrated touches on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…
GAME BALL:
Jaland Lowe, Kentucky — The Cats’ junior point guard, nagged by an ailing right shoulder since the Blue/White Scrimmage in October, looked like he was done when he reaggravated it just seconds after checking into Saturday’s game. Much to Big Blue Nation’s surprise, he returned in the second half to spearhead the UK victory. Lowe posted a +20 despite being on the floor for only 15 minutes of action.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st – Time in program history that the Wildcats have overcome a halftime deficit of seven or more points in consecutive games to win.
6-6 – Kentucky’s record in the CBS Sports Classic.
9 – Team-high rebounds for UK freshman center Malachi Moreno.
9th – Win over an AP Top 25 opponent for Mark Pope in his two seasons with the Cats.
12-5 – Kentucky’s lead in the all-time series with St. John’s.
73-33 – The Cats’ all-time record in Atlanta.
QUOTABLE:
“He makes us so much different because he just gets wherever he wants on the floor.” — UK head coach Mark Pope on point guard Jaland Lowe.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday in a 1 p.m. ET tipoff against Bellarmine at Rupp Arena. Broadcast is slated for SEC Network Plus.