Kentucky-Team Africa Postgame Notes

UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY vs. AFRICA SELECT
GLOBL JAM | TORONTO, ONTARIO | MATTAMY ATHLETIC CENTRE
JULY 15, 2023

FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 104, Team Africa Select 92

• This was Kentucky’s third exhibition game of the GLOBL JAM FIBA event. UK will play once more during the tour.
• The Wildcats return to the court on Sunday vs. host Canada in the gold medal game. That game will tip at 8 p.m. and air live on CBS Sports Network.
• Kentucky is 149-12 all-time in exhibition games and has won 28 straight. UK is 46-1 in exhibition contests under head coach John Calipari.

First-Quarter Facts

• Kentucky’s used a third different starting combination in today’s game with D.J. Wagner, Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, Adou Thiero and Jordan Burks starting.
• It was Burks’ first start of the event.
• Edwards started the scoring with a 3-pointer. He then had a transition dunk and free throw to push the lead to 10-2 with 7:01 remaining.
• Team Africa pulled to within two at the 5:52 mark, but Edwards responded with his second 3-pointer of the stanza to stretch the lead back to five.
• The Cats led by 11 (28-17) going into the break behind a 3-pointer from Reed Sheppard off of a gorgeous assist from Tre Mitchell.

Second-Quarter Story

• After Team Africa cut the score to a seven-point lead for the Cats, Antonio Reeves scored a 3-pointer to silence the run.
• A Dillingham jumper with 3:29 remaining lifted UK to a 15-point lead at 46-31, its largest of the contest.
• Reeves made consecutive 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to stretch the lead to 18 with 54 seconds to go.
• Reeves led all scorers with 18 first-half points and five 3-pointers.
• Mitchell had five boards, while Sheppard led the way with six assists.
• Kentucky had 15 assists on 22 made baskets and forced Team Africa into 11 first-half turnovers.

Third-Quarter Tidbits

• The Cats opened with Dillingham, Wagner, Edwards, Thiero and Mitchell on the floor.
• The lead swelled to 20 on UK’s first second-half possession off a feed from Mitchell to a cutting Wagner for a layup.
• A 6-0 spurt by Team Africa cut the lead to 14 and the Cats opted to take a timeout with 6:53 to play in the third frame.
• A 10-2 run by Team Africa shrunk the advantage to 10, but Mitchell connected on his first 3-pointer of the game to snap the run with 3:32 to go in the quarter.
• Kentucky pushed the lead back to 16 on a reverse layup from Sheppard with 11 seconds remaining, but Team Africa was able to nail a three at the buzzer and the score was 78-65 at the conclusion of the third frame.

Fourth-Quarter Findings 

• Reeves’ sixth 3-pointer of the game was the fourth quarter’s first points.
• Team Africa refused to give up and cut the lead to six at 87-81 with 5:20 to play. Kentucky opted to take a timeout to attempt to halt the push.
• Kentucky responded with a 9-0 run capped by another Reeves 3-pointer to stretch the lead back to 15 with 2:47 remaining.
• The Cats hit the century mark on Reeves’ eighth 3-pointer of the night.

Team Notes 

• Kentucky forced 13 Team Africa turnovers that led to 13 points.
  • For the tournament, UK is generating 21 points per game off of turnovers.
• The Cats made 14 3-pointers in today’s contest, most for the tournament.
  • UK is averaging 11 made threes for the week and shooting at a 30.7% clip.
• The Wildcats won the battle of the boards with 46 in today’s game.
• UK also edged Team Africa in points in the paint 42-40.
• Kentucky generated 26 assists on 39 made buckets.
  • The Cats are averaging 25.7 assists per game in the tournament.

Player Notes

• Antonio Reeves drained eight 3-pointers and led all scorers with 27 points.
  • He is averaging 24.7 points per game over the first three games of the tournament.
  • Reeves is making nearly five 3-pointers per game and connecting at a 58% clip.
• Tre Mitchell had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in an all-around game.
  • UK was plus-24 with him on the floor.
• Reed Sheppard posted 18 points, a team-high eight assists and two blocked shots.
  • For the week, Sheppard is averaging 10.7 points, 6.0 assists, 2.3 boards, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
• D.J. Wagner chipped in with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
• Justin Edwards had 15 points, five rebounds and three steals.