FINAL: No. 9 Kentucky steamrolls Eastern Illinois 99-53 in bounce back win

Kentucky needed a get-right win after Tuesday’s loss to Louisville, and that’s exactly what happened.

The No. 9 Wildcats (3-1) steamrolled Eastern Illinois (1-3) on Friday night in Rupp Arena, dominating from start to finish in a 99-53 beatdown. Kentucky was paced by a career performance from junior forward Mo Dioubate, who posted a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double on 8-9 shooting. Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Malachi Moreno went for 11 points and six rebounds. Andrija Jelavić also hit double-figures for the first time this season with his 11 points to go along with seven boards.

All 10 players who saw the floor for Kentucky scored at least four points. The ‘Cats shot 60.9 percent from the field and 9-25 from deep while holding Eastern Illinois to just a 32.7 percent shooting mark as a team. UK cleaned up the glass with no resistance (49-17) and won nearly every statistical category outside of turnovers (13 for UK, 11 for EIU). Kentucky did all this without point guard Jaland Lowe, who missed the game after re-injuring his shoulder during Thursday’s practice.

With the win, the Wildcats were officially crowned champions of the BBN United Tipoff Classic Presented by Kentucky Tourism. It’s time to cut down some nets.

Kentucky was out for revenge from the opening tip, jetting out to a quick 12-2 lead before the first media timeout. Eastern Illinois was already on the verge of being run out of the game, but three straight made three-pointers by the Panthers delayed the inevitable for a few more possessions. Even still, UK was ahead 25-13 at the second media timeout, shooting 11-15 from the field as a team. Everyone was getting in on the action for the ‘Cats.

Eastern Illinois would go through a rough offensive stretch from there as Kentucky was dialed in defensively. The Panthers only managed six points from the 12:09 mark of the first half all the way until the intermission. Meanwhile, UK already had nine guys with at least two points on the board, led by 10 from Dioubate. The ‘Cats were feasting on the boards (31-10) after one half, dominating nearly every aspect of the game. It was a commanding 47-19 lead for Kentucky going into the locker room.

It wouldn’t get any easier for Eastern Illinois, either. The Panthers’ offense went ice cold while Kentucky continued to pour it on. A 12-0 run for the ‘Cats made it a 65-23 ball game with a dozen minutes still left to play. EIU went on a scoring drought that lasted over five minutes. Head coach Mark Pope wasn’t laying off the gas, though, even challenging an out-of-bounds call that went against UK (which ended up being successful).

At this point, everyone in the building knew the eventual outcome. Kentucky’s lead would grow to 40-plus midway through the second half. Walker Horn and Zach Tow were able to check in with a minute left to serve as the victory cigars. Horn even fired off a three-pointer right before the buzzer, much to the enjoyment of the Rupp crowd, but it didn’t drop in.

The loss to Louisville a few days ago was a tough one to swallow, but this was the exact kind of performance UK needed before heading to take on No. 17 Michigan State in New York City next Tuesday.