D.J. Wagner scored a season-high 28 points and Antonio Reeves added 23 to lift No. 16 Kentucky to a 118-82 victory over Marshall on Friday in Lexington, Ky.
Wagner made 10 of 14 shots from the floor, four days after he and Tre Mitchell each scored 22 points in a 96-88 overtime win over Saint Joseph’s.
Mitchell had 18 points on Friday for the Wildcats (5-1), who shot a robust 65 percent from the floor (26 of 40) in the first half and 72.7 percent from 3-point range (8 of 11) to seize a 69-41 lead.
The 69 points set a Rupp Arena record for a single half, while Kentucky hit 16 3-pointers, its fourth consecutive game with at least 12. The Wildcats produced such a four-game run just once previously in school history (Dec. 4-19, 1989).
Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham made 7 of 8 shots from the floor and finished with 16 points off the bench. Reed Sheppard had 12 points, Justin Edwards added 10 and Adou Thiero contributed six points and seven rebounds to help the Wildcats win their third straight game.
Marshall’s Obinna Anochili-Killen scored 12 of his 22 points in the first half. Nate Martin collected 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Thundering Herd (2-4), who have lost two in a row for the second time this season.
Marshall trimmed its deficit to 15-14 after Kamdyn Curfman and Anochili-Killen each made a 3-pointer, but Kentucky scored 14 of the game’s next 16 points. Edwards added a pair of 3-pointers in that surge.
Reeves sank a pair of 3-pointers and Edwards added another to increase the Wildcats’ lead to 55-28.
Kentucky kept its foot on the gas, with Reeves (15 points), Mitchell (14), Wagner (13) and Edwards (10) all finishing the half with double-digit scoring.
Wagner’s layup extended the Wildcats’ lead to 98-59 midway into the second half.
The outcome was never in doubt the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media