Hoyas humble Cats, 84-70, in second exhibition game
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Six days after defeating preseason No. 1 Purdue in a spirited exhibition opener that grabbed the attention of college basketball observers from coast to coast, Kentucky received a “pump the brakes” message from the Georgetown Hoyas.
The Big East mainstay came into Rupp Arena on Thursday with little fanfare but departed with an abundance of respect after dominating the No. 9 Wildcats 84-70 in the final exhibition tune-up for the regular season.
“I felt like Georgetown was great tonight,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said. “I felt like they were really, really physical. I thought they came in with a really good game plan. It was exactly what we had kind of hoped to get out of this game. We had hoped we had a different outcome.
“We are massively disappointed with ever losing on this floor, so that is brutal for us right now. And it’s not going to sit well with our guys and is certainly not sitting well with me. This is an unbelievable opportunity for us to learn so much. So, it’s both those things. But that’s never going to be an OK. outcome for us.”
When asked if he learned more from the win over Purdue or the loss to Georgetown, UK senior guard Otega Oweh said: “That’s hard because no one wants to lose, so I say lose. We don’t want to lose, but we can definitely learn a whole lot.”
Georgetown snapped Kentucky’s 34-game exhibition win streak dating back to 2014. The Hoyas shot 55.4% from the field and held the shorthanded Cats to just 33.3%
Compounding matters, UK went 7-of-30 from beyond the 3-point arc, missed 12 of its 35 free throws, and committed 15 turnovers.
Granted, Kentucky played without starting point guard Jaland Lowe (shoulder) and his backup, Denzel Aberdeen (leg), opening the door for the Hoyas’ Malik Mack to control the game. The junior guard finished with a game-high 22 points and spearheaded Georgetown’s aggressive defensive effort.
KJ Lewis followed with 19 points for the Hoyas, and Vincent Iwuchukwu stuffed his stat line with 14 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two blocked shots.
“This group that we’re coaching, that we’re blessed to coach, just has an incredible fight and an incredible will,” Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley said. “And, hopefully, this can give us a little bit of confidence as we get into our non-conference, and help prepare us for incredible Big East play.”
Georgetown used a seven-point spurt midway through the first half to turn a 19-16 UK lead into a 23-19 advantage. The Hoyas would never trail again, taking a 46-39 lead into halftime and stretching it to as many as 17 points in the second half.
The Cats clawed within 10 points on two occasions, but could never get any closer due in large part to going 0-for-13 from beyond the arc.
Oweh led three UK players in double figures with 17 points. Mouhamed Dioubate and Collin Chandler added 13 and 11, respectively.
Cooley said Big Blue Nation should not lose too much sleep over an exhibition loss.
“I love this Kentucky team,” he said. “They’re fast in transition, they can really shoot the ball, and obviously, when Lowe and [center Jayden Quaintance] get back, I think they have a different identity. I thought our ball pressure really bothered them, and I thought the physicality of the game played into what I call Big East basketball.”
******
In our regular postgame feature, Cats Illustrated touches on some quick-hitters from the UK loss…
GAME BALL:
MALIK MACK, GEORGETOWN – The Hoyas’ junior point guard had a terrific all-around performance, scoring a game-high 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out three assists, and playing a big role in Georgetown’s aggressive defensive effort.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1 – Three-pointer for seven different Kentucky players. No Wildcat made more than one. UK made only 16 of 59 (27%) from beyond the arc in its two exhibition games.
23 – Georgetown points off 15 Kentucky turnovers.
27-17 – Bench points advantage for the Hoyas. Kentucky had a 34-18 edge over Purdue in that column.
38-30 – The Cats won the battle on the glass with Mouhamed Dioubate, Collin Chandler, and Malachi Moreno each grabbing seven.
65% – The Hoyas’ field-goal percentage on 2-point attempts (26 of 40).
155-13 – Kentucky’s all-time record in exhibition games. The last loss before Thursday was Aug. 17, 2014, to the Dominican Republic in the final game of the Big Blue Bahamas exhibition tour.
QUOTABLE:
“You know, you are always looking to expose, to get exposed through these six weeks (leading up the season). You are trying every way to expose yourself, and (Georgetown) did an unbelievable job of exposing the spaces where we don’t expose oursevles, and Purdue didn’t expose ourselves. It’s a terrific opportunity to learn, which is what we want right now.” — UK head coach Mark Pope
UP NEXT:
Kentucky tips off the regular season on Tuesday at Rupp Arena against Nicholls with a 7 p.m. ET start time on SEC Network+.