Dioubate, Lowe Lead Second-Half Comeback as Cats Top Hoosiers
Mo Dioubate came off the bench to score 14 points and grab 12 rebounds as Kentucky rallied past Indiana 72-60 on Saturday night at Rupp Arena.
Jaland Lowe, who also came off the bench, had 13 points for the Cats, while Otega Oweh added 10.
The Cats forced 18 IU turnovers and scored 23 points off of those miscues. UK turned the ball over just four times, leading to just six IU points.
Kentucky (7-4) got on the board first via a Trent Noah fast-break layup. After Indiana tied the game, UK took the lead back on a Malachi Moreno free throw, but IU scored the next six to lead 8-3. After two Moreno free throws, Indiana hit a three to lead 11-5.
The Cats would score the next six, on layups by Denzel Aberdeen and Brandon Garrison and a floater by Jaland Lowe to tie the game at 11-11. A Lowe free throw gave UK a 12-11 lead, but that lead would change hands four times over the next 1:28.
Indiana was score three in a row to lead 18-16 but UK responded with three points of its own to lead 19-18 but IU scored the next four to lead by three. Kentucky would tie the game at 22-22, but Indiana would go on a 17-8 run to lead 39-30. The Hoosiers would lead 39-32 at the half.
Kentucky scored the first points of the second half on an Oweh three, but Indiana immediately answered with a three of its own. UK got two Chandler free throws to get within five, but three Indiana free throws made it 45-37.
An Aberdeen three, then a floater in the lane, made it 45-42 Hoosiers, but Indiana scored four in a row to lead by seven. However, UK got two free throws from Oweh, a Kam Williams layup, a Garrison putback and a Dioubate basket to lead 50-49.
Dioubate scored again, capping a 10-0 run that gave Kentucky a 52-49. After Indiana cut the lead to one, Williams made two free throws and the Cats led 54-51. A Lowe jumper extended the lead to five and a Dioubate three-point play gave UK a 59-51 lead. After an IU bucket, Oweh hit two free throws to give the Cats a 61-53 lead.
With UK leading by seven, Oweh found Garrison with a lob pass that the big man dunked, extending the UK lead to 63-54. And when Lowe scored in the lane, Kentucky had its first double-digit lead of the game.
Indiana would get within seven, 65-58, but UK scored six in a row to put the game away.
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, facing St. John’s in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on CBS.
