National Basketball Association
Kentucky 92, High Point 48
When: 12:00 PM ET, Friday, December 31, 2021
Where: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, Lexington, Kentucky
Officials:
# Jeb Hartness, # Wil Howard, # Pat Evans
Attendance:
19735
By Field Level Media
Kellan Grady scored 23 points as No. 18 Kentucky won its fourth straight game, topping visiting High Point 92-48 in Lexington, Ky., on Friday afternoon.
Grady was one of four Wildcats (11-2) to score in double digits. TyTy Washington Jr. finished with 15 points and a game-high nine assists, while Oscar Tshiebwe added 15 points and a game-high-tying eight rebounds. Davion Mintz scored 10 points in 15 minutes of play off the bench.
After High Point (6-8) tied the game at 14 at the 12:47 mark in the first half, Kentucky embarked on a 29-11 run to create some separation with the Panthers to close the half at 43-25.. The Wildcats made 12 of 19 shots during that stretch.
During the second half, Kentucky went on a 29-10 run to take a 33-point lead. Grady notched 15 of his points during that stretch, making 5 of 6 shots from behind the arc. In all, Grady made 8 of his 12 shot attempts -- 7 of 10 of them from 3-point range. It's the second time in the past three games that Grady has scored 23 points.
High Point was led by John-Michael Wright, who finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. Zach Austin also had 12 points and six boards for the Panthers, which lost their second straight game to a Top 25-ranked opponent.
The pregame ceremonies included some pomp and circumstance, as the Wildcats honored High Point coach Tubby Smith with a jersey retirement. Smith coached Kentucky to a national championship in 1998 and guided the Wildcats to 10 NCAA tournaments during his tenure, which ended in 2007. Smith is now one of four coaches to have his name in the rafters of Rupp Arena.
Smith's Panthers will look to bounce back on Wednesday as High Point begins Big South play by hosting Winthrop. Kentucky travels to LSU on Tuesday.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| High Point |
|
Kentucky |
|
Zach Austin 12 |
Scoring |
Kellan Grady 23 |
|
John-Michael Wright 3 |
Assists |
Tyty Washington Jr. 9 |
|
Zach Austin 6 |
Rebounds |
Daimion Collins 8 |
|
Bryant Randleman 2 |
Free Throws Made |
Jacob Toppin 2 |
|
Zach Austin 3 |
Steals |
Kellan Grady 2 |
|
Zach Austin 1 |
Blocks |
Lance Ware 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| High Point
|
48 |
31.1 |
8-23 |
2-4 |
8 |
25 |
2 |
6 |
16 |
| Kentucky
|
92 |
59.1 |
10-26 |
4-8 |
23 |
42 |
6 |
10 |
12 |
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