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No. 18 Kentucky revs up, annihilates No. 22 Tennessee

Jan 15, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Davion Mintz (10) celebrates during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

TyTy Washington scored 28 points and Sahvir Wheeler added 21 as No. 18 Kentucky dominated visiting No. 22 Tennessee 107-79 in a Southeastern Conference game on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.

Kellan Grady went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc en route to scoring 16 points and Oscar Tshiebwe added nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The Wildcats (14-3, 4-1 SEC) led by as many as 32 points in the second half and set a season high for points while cruising to their third straight win.

Washington and Wheeler were nearly unstoppable. Washington went 10 of 13 from the floor, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, while Wheeler went 8 of 10 from the field and 1 of 2 from beyond the arc, and also recorded a game-high eight assists. Davion Mintz added 10 points by going 4 of 5 from the field, including 2 of 3 from distance.

Santiago Vescovi scored a team-high 20 points and Kennedy Chandler chipped in 17 for the Vols (11-5, 2-3), who lost for the third time in the past five games. Josiah-Jordan James and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield added 11 points apiece.

The Volunteers, who entered the game allowing opponents an average of 60.7 points per game, had no answers against Kentucky, which scored its 61st point on Grady’s 3-pointer for a 61-43 lead with 17:26 remaining.

The Wildcats shot a blistering 67.9 percent (38 of 56) from the field, including red-hot 61.1 percent (11 of 18) from 3-point range, in addition to going 20 of 21 from the free-throw line. Kentucky converted 20 Tennessee turnovers into 32 points.

Kentucky dominated the first half, taking a 52-38 lead at intermission.

Washington scored 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the first half to lead Kentucky, which shot 78.6 percent (22 of 28) from the field, including 4 of 6 (66.7 percent) from the 3-point line and a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line.

Tennessee shot 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from beyond the arc in the first half to try to keep it close, but the Vols committed 10 turnovers that Kentucky converted into 17 points.

–Field Level Media

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