Tshiebwe's Second Half Surge Lifts No. 16 Kentucky Past Yale 69-59
Thanks to a second-half foray from Oscar Tshiebwe, No. 16 Kentucky was able to fend off the feisty Yale Bulldogs 69-59 inside Rupp Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The reigning National Player of the Year accounted for a 28-point, 12-rebound double-double, the 33rd of his Kentucky career. He exploded in the second half, racking up 22 points, asserting his dominance, keeping the Bulldogs at bay.
"In the first half, when (Tshiebwe) had shots, he was passing, I said 'quit passing the ball, score the ball, they can't guard you,'" head coach John Calipari said post-game. "When we figured out we could throw it inside, it gave us a gap and some space, and I liked how we finished the game off."
Sahvir Wheeler and Antonio Reeves added 10 points each as the Wildcats shot 61.5 percent from the floor in the win. Yale countered with double-digit efforts from three players, including 14 from backup forward Jack Molloy.
It was already an uphill battle for the Bulldogs, but the climb became even steeper before tip-off, as it was announced that leading scorer and rebounder Matt Knowling would miss the game due to injury.
Wallace set the tone early, scoring eight of Kentucky's first 12 points. A 9-0 run, levied by four Yale turnovers gave the Cats an early 15-6 lead.
With just over 10 minutes left in the first half, UK (7-2) led 25-15, canning three of its first four attempts from range, shooting 58.8 percent overall from the field.
Yale (8-3) kept it close via seven points from sophomore forward Jack Molloy, who nailed three of his first four shots off the bench for seven points.
After a hot start, Kentucky went cold quick at the end of the half, going on a field-goal drought that lasted over six minutes. The Cats would make just two of their last 12 field-goal attempts.
The Bulldogs weren't able to take advantage, as they bricked seven of their last eight attempts from the floor to end the half. Yale made only two of 11 3-point-attempts in the first 20 minutes.
Kentucky took a 33-27 lead into the locker room, despite some poor production from a few key players. Sahvir Wheeler totaled four points on 2-8 shooting, but did not record an assist in 15 minutes of game-time. Jacob Toppin failed to record a point, missing all four of his shots taken, while CJ Fredrick saw limited run, missing both shots taken in five minutes on the court.
"I think we had a good start," Wheeler said. "There was a little drought that we had, but I think we scored the ball pretty well."
"The execution of what we're doing was pretty good," Calipari added. "We got to get a couple of guys playing better."
Wallace didn't score again after his early flurry, but those eight points were good enough to lead UK at the break. Tshiebwe got a nice start on his double-double, scoring six while grabbing eight boards. As a team, the Cats shot 40.6 percent in the half.
Yale quickly doubled its 3-point total early in the second half, as its first two buckets of the period came from deep, tying the game at 33.
Tshiebwe would pull Kentucky out of first gear himself, taking over in the paint for a solo 12-5 run, propelling the Cats to a five-point lead with less than 14 minutes to go.
As it did all game long, Yale battled, keeping the deficit in single digits. The Bulldogs made six of its first 10 looks from the floor in the half. It just didn't matter, as Tshiebwe's onslaught continued. The NPOY was responsible for 16 of UK's first 20 points in the half.
“Our team needed that. We needed that," Tshiebwe said about the run and the win. "I told them to give me the ball and if they double-team me, I will kick it out and if they do not double me on the floor, I do not think there are many people who can stop me, so our team threw me the ball.”
"We have an advantage, and the kid's name is Oscar Tshiebwe," Calipari said. "You got to throw it to him. If you're driving and he's open, don't shoot it, throw it to him. The crazy thing is if he can't shoot it, he'll throw it back to you, which he does."
Eventually the Bulldogs began to fade, as Kentucky built its lead all the way up to 15 at one point late in the half. Yale continued to fight, but couldn't come up with that final push, as UK rode the final few minutes out to an important win over a tough mid-major foe.
Another long break now awaits the Wildcats, as they won't return to the court until next Saturday, Dec. 17, and it won't be inside Rupp Arena. Instead, they'll travel to the mecca, Madison Square Garden, where they'll take part in the CBS Sports Classic in New York City against the UCLA Bruins.
“I am excited. I never win at Madison Square Garden, so I have to fight this time," Tshiebwe said. "They are a good team, and we are a good team too and I respect them, but I have no fear of them. We are going to go fight and whoever fights the most is the team who is going to win.”
Tip between the Wildcats and Bruins is set for 5:15 p.m. EST.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.
