Dioubate, Lowe lead Cats over Hoosiers
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mouhamed Dioubate celebrated his 22nd birthday on Saturday with a triumphant return to action for a Kentucky squad that desperately needed it.
The Wildcats’ junior forward had his best game since coming to Lexington, shaking off the effects of a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him for the last five games to post a double-double in Kentucky’s 72-60 win over Indiana at Rupp Arena.
Dioubate came off the bench to score 14 points, grab 12 rebounds, and record five steals in spearheading a gritty effort by Kentucky (7-4).
“That would be the worst thing, to lose on my birthday,” Dioubate said. “I told the guys before the game, don’t get me a gift, let’s just win the game for my birthday. We got it done.
“I just hope to keep this same energy going forward.”
“This is a game perfectly suited for Mo,” UK head coach Mark Pope said. “He was a leader on the defensive end. His physicality and doing it legal was elite. He was great on the glass. It was awesome to have him back. He’s such a great competitor, and it’s been killing him to be out.”
The Cats shot just 38% from the field and made only three of their 15 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc, but displayed effort and toughness that had not been present in losing all four of their previous matchups with P5 opponents this season.
Kentucky held Indiana (8-3) to 34% shooting from the field and forced 18 turnovers, leading to 23 points for the Cats. UK also pulled down 14 offensive rebounds as part of an 18-6 edge in second-chance points.
In other words, it wasn’t pretty, but Pope’s team may have discovered another way to win.
“Right now, like to tip the needle and bring back some belief and consolidate ourselves as a team, it’s probably going to be like gross, beautiful basketball like it was tonight,” he said.
Kentucky also got 13 points and two assists off the bench from junior point guard Jaland Lowe. He may have been the biggest steadying influence for the Cats, who overcame a seven-point deficit in the second half with a 23-5 run to take control of the game.
“It was fun to see his competitive spirit come through tonight,” Pope said.
“I did alright,” Lowe said. “I was really rusty out there. I am trying to get that off as quickly as possible, but I just wanted to bring a lot of energy. My guys know what to expect from me, and just trying to be a leader on the court; just show up in ways that contribute to winning at all costs.”
The Cats also got 10 points, four rebounds, and two steals from senior guard Otega Oweh.
Indiana was led by Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries with 15 points apiece. Wilkerson, who scored 44 points in his previous game against Penn State, got only 11 attempts off against UK and was saddled with serious foul trouble in the second half.
“I thought the second half, Kentucky certainly turned up the pressure and was able to get into us,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said. “We didn’t respond well enough, and we turned the ball over too much, and turnovers against them are really hard because now they’re out in transition playing space, so the turnovers and offensive rebounding, that flipped the game around in the second half.”
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In our regular postgame feature, Cats Illustrated touches on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…
GAME BALL:
Mouhamed Dioubate, Kentucky — On his birthday, Kentucky’s junior forward delivered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, both team-highs, and also recorded five of the Cats’ 13 steals on the defensive end of the floor.
BY NUMBERS:
1st – Meeting between Kentucky and Indiana at Rupp Arena since an 81-62 win by the Wildcats in the 2010-11 season.
4 – Turnovers by Kentucky were the fewest by the Wildcats against a P5 opponent since they committed only two in a 2021 game against Vanderbilt.
13 – Season-high steals recorded by UK, including five by Mouhamed Dioubate.
15-0 – The Cats’ record under Mark Pope when holding the opponent to 66 or fewer points.
33-25 – Kentucky’s lead in the all-time series against Indiana, including an 11-3 mark in Lexington.
42-13 – Bench-scoring advantage for the Cats. Their two leading scorers, Mouhamed Dioubate (14) and Jaland Lowe (13) came off the bench.
QUOTABLE:
“I couldn’t be more proud of the way these guys won the game tonight because it was ugly and full of heart and intensity.” — UK head coach Mark Pope
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action next Saturday at the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta against No. 22 St. John’s and Rick Pitino. Tipoff for the Cats and Red Storm (6-3) is 12:30 ET at State Farm Arena.