Thanksgiving Eve called for basketball in the bluegrass as the Kentucky Wildcats played host to the Winthrop Eagles on Wednesday afternoon. In search of their fourth consecutive win, head coach Calipari and his team found what they were looking for in a 87-74 victory.
Led by PJ Washington’s 19 points and 11 rebounds, Kentucky continued their dominant play inside the paint. Keldon Johnson added 13 points and seven rebounds to the front court production while Nick Richards found himself in double figures with 10 points.
The Wildcats added yet another strong rebounding performance, out-muscling the Eagles for a 37-22 edge on the glass.
However, the story of the afternoon was freshman sensation Tyler Herro. Herro lit up the net, scoring 15 points but stood out on the floor with seven assists to his teammates.
Kentucky’s backcourt has been inconsistent to start the season. With Herro accounting for 30 of the team’s 87 points, his performance certainly came in a time of need.
Joining Herro with efficient contributions was Quade Green, scoring 11 points for his second-straight game in double digits.
As predicted, the Wildcats used Wednesday’s game as a momentum-builder leading up to their trip to Madison Square Garden for the Citi Hoops Classic.
Looking ahead doesn’t venture far, as the Wildcats will quickly return to action on Friday to host Tennessee State at 7 P.M. EDT.