Reed Sheppard, No. 12 Kentucky overwhelm No. 8 Miami 95-73 in ACC/SEC Challenge
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Reed Sheppard scored 21 points, including 13 during a second half in which Kentucky shot 67%, and Antonio Reeves added 18 to propel 12th-ranked Wildcats to a 95-73 blowout of No. 8 Miami on Tuesday night in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Sheppard came off the bench, drained a 3 for his first basket and finished 5 of 9 from long range and 8 of 13 overall. Reeves was 7 of 12 from the field.
Tre Mitchell had 14 points and seven assists, Rob Dillingham scored 14 points and Justin Edwards had 11 points for Kentucky (6-1).
Norchad Omier scored 20 points and Wooga Poplar had 19 for the Hurricanes (5-1), who shot 44.1% from the field but were no match for Kentucky’s nearly flawless offensive performance.
The Wildcats made their final three shots to lead 42-37 at halftime before sinking their first six of the second half and 10 of 11 overall for a 67-43 advantage with 14:15 remaining. Kentucky ended up converting 20 of 30 after halftime and 37 of 62 overall (59.7%) to dominate a matchup between two of the country’s highest-scoring teams.
Kentucky led by as much as 29 points and finished 9 of 21 (42.9%) from 3-point range.
BIG PICTURE
Miami entered the game ranked 12th in scoring at 89 points per game and for a while seemed intent on setting the pace. The Hurricanes built a 29-23 lead with an 18-2 run, but it didn’t last.
Kentucky picked up where it left off after scoring 118 points against Marshall, a John Calipari-era record. The Wildcats outscored Miami 38-23 in the paint and 23-7 on the fast break, hitting a few transition 3s in the process.
UP NEXT
Miami hosts Notre Dame on Saturday in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
Kentucky hosts UNC Wilmington on Saturday.
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