Oscar Tshiebwe and Jacob Toppin scored 24 points apiece to lead No. 19 Kentucky to an 86-63 victory over visiting Louisville on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.
Tshiebwe shot 10 of 13 from the field and added game-high 14 rebounds and two assists. Toppin went 10 of 15 from the field to go along with seven rebounds and two assists.
Kentucky’s Cason Wallace shot 6 of 8 from the field, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, to finish with 17 points with five rebounds and two assists.
Sahvir Wheeler added seven points and a game-high nine assists for the Wildcats, who cruised to their 27th consecutive home win.
The Wildcats (9-4), who led by as many as 27 points in the second half, shot 33 of 55 (60 percent) from the field, including 4 of 13 (30.8 percent) from 3-point range. Kentucky, which has won two of its past three games, outrebounded the Cardinals 33-20.
El Ellis scored 23 points and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield added 10 points and four rebounds for Louisville (2-12), which has dropped three straight games.
The Cardinals shot 22 of 47 (46.8 percent) from the field, including 2 of 13 (15.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
After the Cardinals trimmed a 15-point halftime deficit to 45-37, the Wildcats responded with an 18-7 run following Toppin’s dunk with 10:17 to go.
Kentucky jumped out to a 12-2 advantage in the first 2:56 and led by as many as 17 before taking a 45-30 edge at halftime.
Tshiebwe had a double-double in the first half with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Toppin scored 15 points and Wallace added 10 in the first 20 minutes for Kentucky.
The Wildcats shot 19 of 30 (63.3 percent) from the field before the break, including 3 of 8 (37.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Louisville was led by Ellis’ 11 first-half points, while Huntley-Hatfield added eight.
The Cardinals shot 13 of 29 (44.4 percent) from the field prior to halftime, including 1 of 8 (12.5 percent) from distance.
–Field Level Media