Kentucky Rolls Past Thomas More 103-61

Freshman Kevin Knox scored 27 points and classmate PJ Washington added 15 points and 10 rebounds as Kentucky rolled past Thomas More 103-61 in an exhibition game on Friday night at Rupp Arena.

Nick Richards had 14 points for the Wildcats and Hamidou Diallo added 12. Sophomore Wenyen Gabriel was the fifth Wildcat in double figures, scoring 11 points to go with 10 rebounds.

Kentucky exploited its height advantage, outrebounding the Saints 49-26. The Wildcats shot 55 percent (38-of-69) from the floor, including five-of-16 (31.3 percent) from three-point range.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 7-2 lead early behind three points from Washington. Quade Green then hit back-to-back three-pointers to extend Kentucky’s lead to 13-4.

Kentucky extended its lead to 21-6 on a layup by Diallo. But after a Thomas More timeout, the Saints went on an 11-2 run to cut Kentucky’s lead to 23-17. The Wildcats responded with a 17-3 run to take a commanding 40-20 lead. Kentucky would lead 53-30 at the break.

In the second half, Kentucky pulled away, building the lead behind a balanced offensive effort. The 42-point margin of victory was Kentucky’s largest lead of the game. 

Thomas More was led by Damian King, who scored 13 points.

Kentucky returns to action on Monday night when the Wildcats face a second straight intrastate opponent, the Morehead State Eagles. The exhibition game is being played to raise funds for disaster relief in Texas, California, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.