LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Antonio Reeves scored 18 points to lead No. 19 Kentucky to a 60-41 win over Bellarmine on Tuesday night.
Jacob Toppin had 12 points and CJ Fredrick finished with 11 as the Wildcats (5-2) overcame a slow start.
Bellarmine, which defeated Louisville 67-66 it its season opener on Nov. 9, wasn’t intimidated in its first meeting with the Wildcats and controlled the tempo until Kentucky wore down the Knights in the final 14 minutes.
Trailing 32-28 with 15 minutes left, Kentucky used a 23-3 run to pull away. Fredrick and Toppin combined for 16 points during the decisive spurt.
The Knights (2-6) shot 30.4% from the floor and scored 20 points in the second half after tallying 21 in the opening half.
Curt Hopf led Bellarmine with 15 points and Bash Wieland scored 10.
BIG PICTURE
Bellarmine: The Knights completed a six-game trip that included games at Clemson, No. 17 Duke and No. 21 UCLA. Bellarmine played at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Pauley Pavilion and Rupp Arena in the same season for the first time. Bellarmine, which traveled 5,633 miles in nine days, closes out the calendar year with five home games, including four in a row during the next two weeks.
Kentucky: Kentucky had a size advantage over the Knights but managed just four blocks, two in each half. The Wildcats came into the game averaging seven blocks per game, second nationally behind Southeastern Conference rival Auburn, which is averaging 8.3 blocks through its first seven games. Kentucky finished with 16 assists after managing just six in the first half. The Wildcats came in averaging 19.7 assists per game, seventh in the nation.
UP NEXT
Bellarmine hosts Alice Lloyd on Sunday.
Kentucky travels across the Atlantic to London, where it will play Michigan on Sunday.
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