It wasn’t very pretty early on, but Kentucky got itself figured out in the form of a 20-point lead at the break, using a 21-3 run to go up 43-23.
And the Wildcats have Jaxson Robinson to thank for that, the BYU transfer putting up 15 points on 5-9 from three with four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 14 first-half minutes. Otega Oweh kept the ship on course to open the game, adding nine points on 4-5 shooting to go with three boards and one assist.
As a team, Kentucky is shooting just 42.9 percent overall and 33.3 percent from three — eight makes on 24 attempts, for those keeping track at home — with seven different players earning buckets.
The big news? Amari Williams suffering a leg injury early and heading back to the locker room after just three minutes. He picked up two rebounds before missing the rest of the half, but did come out and ride the exercise bike in the tunnel — a sign it may not be a serious issue.
On the other hand, Kerr Kriisa finally made his Kentucky debut, hitting one of his three 3-point attempts with three rebounds and two assists in nine minutes. Not too shabby for headband Kerr.
As for the Mavericks, they’re shooting 28.1 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three with Drew Daniel leading the way with eight points and Malcolm Jones adding six.
Check out the full box score below:
20 more minutes to glory.
