Kentucky-St. John's Postgame Notes

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
STATE FARM ARENA | ATLANTA, GA
DECEMBER 20, 2025
ATTENDANCE: TBA

Final Score: (RV) Kentucky 78, No. 22/20 St. John’s 66

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky won its third game in a row – the longest streak of the season – and is 8-4. St. John’s is now 7-4.
• UK has won the last two meetings between the teams and leads the series 12-5.
  • John’s leads 2-1 in games played at neutral sites.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats have their final game of the 2025 calendar year Tuesday at home vs. Bellarmine. Game time is 1 p.m. and it will be televised on SEC Network Plus.  It is the last game of the season televised on SECN+.

Team Notes

• Kentucky played at full strength for the first time this season.
  • Jayden Quaintance had missed all 11 games because of injury, along with Jaland Lowe (six games missed), Mo Dioubate (five games) and Trent Noah (one game).
• For the first time in school history, UK overcame a halftime deficit of at least seven points in consecutive games to win.
• The win was the ninth for head coach Mark Pope over an AP Top-25 opponent at Kentucky
• Kentucky is 6-6 in the CBS Sports Classic, with this being the first time that UK played St. John’s in the event.
• UK is 73-33 all-time in the Atlanta metro area, including 2-0 in the CBS Sports Classic.
• Kentucky limited St. John’s to 66 points. UK is 15-0 under Coach Mark Pope, including 7-0 this season, when keeping the opponent to 66 or fewer points.
• John’s shot 33.3 percent from the field today. UK is 7-0 this season when the opponent shoots 40 percent of less.
• Kentucky dominated the rebounding, 39-28, and the Wildcats are 7-1 this season when winning the boardwork.
• Entering the game at 74.6 percent at the foul line for the season, Kentucky made 18 of 22 today for 81.8 percent.
• With three reserves scoring in double figures today, UK won bench points 40-10.
• Kentucky also won fast break points, 13-2.
• Kentucky blocked seven shots today, matching the season high for rejections.

Player Notes

• Otega Oweh manufactured 20 points and has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season.
  • It was his second 20-point outing in the last three games.
  • He also had five rebounds and three steals. He has had at least two thefts in seven straight games, the longest streak of his career.
• Jaland Lowe played only seven seconds in the first half before leaving the game because of injury. He returned in the second half, played 15 minutes, and matched his season high for scoring with 13 points.
  • Despite playing only 15 minutes, he led the team in +/- with a plus 20.
• After missing the first 11 games because of injury, Jayden Quaintance made his first appearance as a Wildcat. He played 17 minutes and totaled 10 points and eight rebounds.
  • Five of his rebounds were on the offensive glass, turning three of them into baskets in the second half.
  • Although playing just 17 minutes, he still compiled a plus 18 in the +/- stat.
• Kam Williams had 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers during the decisive 14-0 run.
• Malachi Moreno had eight points, a game-high nine rebounds and blocked two shots.

In the First Half

• Kentucky started the combination of Denzel Aberdeen, Otega Oweh, Collin Chandler, Mo Dioubate and Malachi Moreno for the first time. This is UK’s fifth different starting lineup in 12 games.
• UK’s first substitutions were Brandon Garrison and Jaland Lowe at 16:18.
• Kentucky led 12-10 when St. John’s went on a 9-0 run and the Red Storm led the remainder of the half.
• John’s lengthened the lead to 10 points at 26-16.
• John’s led 32-25 at halftime.
  • John’s won points off turnovers 16-4 in the first half, as UK had 11 miscues and SJU had four.
  • Oweh led UK with nine points while Moreno had two points and six rebounds.
  • UK is now 2-4 this season when trailing or tied at halftime.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky opened with the starters.
• Trailing 41-33, Oweh scored five straight points.
• After two St. John’s foul shots, UK went on a 14-0 run which included two baskets by Quaintance, two by Lowe and a pair of fast break 3-pointers by Kam Williams.
  • That gave Kentucky its then-largest lead at 52-43.
• UK added another 5-0 spurt for its then-largest lead at 59-49 as SJU went more than seven minutes without a basket, from 14:23 to 7:10 on the clock.
• Kentucky eventually lengthened its lead to 15 points at 72-57.
• Kentucky outscored St. John’s in the second half, 53-34.