In the Zone, Gabriel Shoots UK Past ‘Bama
ST. LOUIS – It was less than four minutes into the second half that everyone in blue already knew.
Wenyen Gabriel had swished a couple 3s in the first half, but then he hit his third to extend Kentucky’s lead to 17 points.
“I think I was in the zone after probably my third three,” Gabriel said.
“I think after three, I was like, ‘Look at this,’ ” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said.
“When he hit three in a row, it was over for him,” PJ Washington said. “I knew he was going to hit some more.”
Washington was right. And then some.
Four more 3s would follow as Gabriel had a record-setting outburst, nailing the most treys in SEC Tournament history by breaking the record of six previously held by Travis Ford. Gabriel made all seven of his 3-point tries, becoming the first player in Kentucky history to make that many without a miss in a single game.
“After the first one, I knew I was shooting the next one,” Gabriel said. “I after I made the next one, I knew I was shooting the next one. I just got into that flow of confidence. I wasn’t hesitating when I got the ball and I just let it fly.”
With Gabriel exploding for a career high-tying 23 points, fourth-seeded UK (23-10) took down No. 9 Alabama (19-15) by a score of 86-63 to advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game. The Wildcats will face Tennessee at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
“I just felt like I was throwing a rock in the ocean,” Gabriel said. “You couldn’t miss.”
The final score ended up being lopsided, but the game was not without nervous moments after UK built a big lead. Alabama – the story of the SEC Tournament entering Saturday – wouldn’t go quietly, as John Petty’s flurry cut the Wildcat lead to 11 points at the 6:39 mark and nine with 5:15 left. Both times, Gabriel calmly drilled wing 3s to steady the ship and send the distinctly pro-UK crowd at Scottrade Center.
“That moment was great,” Gabriel said. “It just shows how much appreciation they’ve got for us, all the support. You could feel the energy in the crowd, almost like it was a home game out there. I was trying to get them riled up to help us push through that game.”
It was a job well done for Gabriel, who has happily filled whatever role has been assigned to him all season. Sometimes he’s started. More often, Gabriel has come off the bench. There have been games he’s played upwards of 30 minutes, but others when he’s played as little as 15 minutes.
His younger teammates might have gotten most of the accolades and attention for most of the season, but Gabriel took his turn in the spotlight on Saturday. At one point, he was the No. 1 trending topic in the United States on Twitter by catching almost everyone off guard with his performance.
The exception, it seems, was his own team.
“I knew this was going to happen eventually for Wenyen,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s been working really hard before practice, after practice and I’ve seen him a couple times in practice where he’ll go four or five times down while we’re scrimmaging and make a 3.”
To Gilgeous-Alexander’s point, Gabriel has been known to make as many as 75 3-pointers in UK’s five-minute shooting drill. Now, Gabriel has proven to himself he can match that kind of shooting in a big game.
“That was great to have one of these today for my confidence going forward,” Gabriel said. “We’ve got some big games coming up ahead, trying to bring home some hardware tomorrow and move on to the NCAA Tournament.”
John Calipari surely didn’t expect seven 3s to come of it, but he told Gabriel after a win on Friday that he needed more from the only player on his roster with any prior postseason experience. Calipari did the same when Gabriel started the game by committing a turnover and not even attempting a shot through the game’s first 12 minutes.
Suffice it to say Gabriel found it within himself to deliver.
“He definitely challenged me,” Gabriel said. “He challenged me in the beginning of the game after I had a turnover and I just stepped up to it. That’s one of the main things: You gotta try to conquer yourself and I feel I did that today.”
Gabriel conquered more than just himself on Saturday.
