Kam Williams splashes eight 3s as Cats top Bellarmine
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The breakout shooting performance that Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has been predicting for sophomore forward Kam Williams showed up in a big way on Tuesday at Rupp Arena.
The transfer wing from Tulane knocked down eight of his 10 shots from beyond the arc en route to a career-high 26 points in the Wildcats’ 99-85 holiday matinee win over Bellarmine.
“I love Kam, 8-for-10. I asked him to do that every night for the rest of the year,” Pope deadpanned.
“I think I’ve told you guys this for the last two months. I’ve never been in a space where the numbers don’t actually translate. It’s just (a matter of) time and reps. He’s an elite-level shooter.”
Williams credited his practice habits and confidence coming from both Pope and his teammates for breaking an early-season slump.
“The role that I was brought here to do, I’ve just been trying to get better with every chance that I get,” he said. “… After I hit that first one today, I didn’t think I was going to miss.”
It was part of a 59% overall shooting day for Kentucky, including a 16-for-30 effort from the arc. In addition to Williams’ outburst, the Cats also got four treys from Denzel Aberdeen and three from Jasper Johnson, who scored 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Junior forward Mouhamed Dioubate scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, blocked three shots, and recorded two steals, while senior guard Otega Oweh flirted with a triple-double at 10 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists.
Defensively, UK took a step back from the intensity and execution it showed on Saturday in suffocating No. 22 St. John’s. Bellarmine shot 52% from the field and made 26 of 30 at the free-throw line to hang within striking distance most of the game.
But the Knights never truly threatened the Cats in the second half. Kentucky was able to turn a 46-38 halftime lead into a 15-point lead during the first segment after the break. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Johnson and Aberdeen gave UK control of the game for the first time.
Kentucky, which played without starting point guard Jaland Lowe (shoulder soreness, precaution) and got only eight minutes from sophomore center Jayden Quaintance (second game back from knee surgery rehab), led by as many 18 points.
Bellarmine (5-7) was led by senior forward Jack Karasinski with 24 points on a 6-of-9 shooting day from the field and a 9-of-10 day at the line.
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GAME BALL:
Kam Williams, Kentucky — After starting the season 6-of-31 from beyond the arc, the sophomore wing has now knocked down 11 of his last 17 in wins over Indiana, St. John’s, and Bellarmine. Suddenly, he’s up to 35% on the season and playing some of the best perimeter defense of any player in the country.
BY THE NUMBERS:
2-0 – Kentucky’s lead in the all-time series with Bellarmine. The teams’ first matchup was a 60-41 win by the Wildcats on Nov. 29, 2022.
2nd – Player in UK program history, Otega Oweh, have have at least 10 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, and two steals in a game, joining DeAaron Fox.
4 – Game win streak for UK.
16 – A season-high for made 3-pointers by UK. The Cats are now 19-3 under Mark Pope when making double-digit treys.
24 – Assists by the Cats, including a career-high 10 by Otega Oweh and seven by Jasper Johnson. It marked the first time that two UK players have recorded seven-plus since Rob Dillingham and Tre Mitchell did so vs. Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 28, 2023.
QUOTABLE:
“I was kidding about that 8-for-10 every night. Maybe every other night.” — A smiling UK head coach Mark Pope on his shooting expectations for sophomore wing Kam Williams.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky goes into the holiday break with a long layoff before starting SEC play on Jan. 3 at Alabama.