"Functional" Cats race past Eastern Illinois, 99-53
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mark Pope did not get exactly what he wanted on Friday in Kentucky’s first game since falling to rival Louisville earlier this week.
“Functional” was the UK boss’s word of choice to describe the No. 9 Wildcats’ 99-53 win over Eastern Illinois at Rupp Arena.
Ho-hum. It was that kind of night in the David vs. Goliath matchup.
“We have a ton of work to do that we are excited about,” Pope continued. “But we’re grateful those guys came to play and competed hard. We made some shots, so it was a good night for us.”
Kentucky (3-1) shot 61% from the field, knocked down nine of 25 3-pointers, and held a dominant 49-17 advantage on the glass against the smaller Panthers.
The Cats 47-19 at halftime and were never challenged. UK led by as many as 53 points.
“All the credit goes to Kentucky. They were ready. They punched us right in the mouth from the get-go, and we never really did regain any confidence,” Eastern Illinois head coach Marty Simmons said.
Nobody represented the physical domination as well as Kentucky’s Mouhamed Dioubate. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound sophomore forward had his first double-double as a Wildcat, leading the team with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He also had two blocked shots and two steals in a stat-stuffing performance.
“He’s a very determined player,” Simmons said, “and he just overmatched us.”
Kentucky also got double-figure scoring from Denzel Aberdeen (13), Otega Oweh (12), Malachi Moreno (11), and Andrija Jelavic (11). Jasper Johnson chipped in with eight points and a team-high seven assists on a night where the Cats played without expected starting point guard Jaland Lowe, who suffered a second separated shoulder incident in practice this week.
Eastern Illinois (1-3) was led by sophomore forward Terry McMorris with 18 points.
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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 — The junior forward from Queens, N.Y., was exactly what the UK staff envisioned when he transferred from Alabama this summer — a big, tough, physical presence. Dioubate was 8-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 at the free-throw line en route to a team-high 20 points. He also led the Cats in rebounds with 11, recorded two steals, and blocked two shots.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st – Meeting between Kentucky and Eastern Illinois in men’s basketball.
8 – Points for UK sophomore guard Trent Noah in his return to action from a sprained ankle.
15-0 – UK’s record under Mark Pope when holding the opponent under 70 points.
+32 – Rebounding margin for the Cats, led by a game-high 11 for Mouhamed Dioubate. The Cats have out-rebounded all four opponents this season by an average margin of 17.8.
44 – Bench points for UK, including 11 apiece from Malachi Moreno and Andrija Jelavic.
54-16 – Points in the paint edge for the Cats.
QUOTABLE:
“Their entire team… they’ve got so many weapons out there,” Eastern Illinois head coach Marty Simmons on Kentucky.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City for a Champions Classic matchup against No. 17 Michigan State (3-0). Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.