Photo by Jeff Houchin
Playing with fire is something the Kentucky Wildcats have become accustom to enjoying this week, falling behind in the beginning minutes in each of their previous two games. However, like their win against Texas A&M on Tuesday, the Wildcats rallied in the second half for a 56-47 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Kentucky fell behind 16-4 in the first five minutes, requiring head coach John Calipari to call a timeout. The Wildcats and Commodores went back and forth for the next eight minutes, as Kentucky put together a 15-6 run to cut the deficit to three.
Trailing 30-28 at the half, Calipari’s message to his team was clear when Kentucky outscored Vanderbilt by 11 in the second period to grab their second SEC win of the season.
Ashton Hagans and Keldon Johnson led all scorers with 15 points each, but the key contribution seemed to be Immanuel Quickley’s 12 points off the bench. Every time the Wildcats needed a momentum-changing basket, it was Quickley catching & nailing a three in transition.
While Quickley’s sixth-man scoring was significant, Hagans was casually recording three or more steals for the fifth straight contest. His double-digit scoring effort also came for the fourth consecutive game.
He certainly wowed fans throughout the game, but Hagans also caused them to hold their breath for a few minutes. After attacking the basket for a layup, Hagans took a tumble and landed on what appeared to be his lower back. After being down in pain for a few minutes, he was assisted off by two members of Kentucky’s staff and received treatment before returning to action.
Losing Hagans would be detrimental for the Wildcats, especially on the defensive end. Hopefully his return during Saturday’s game is a sign that he’ll be okay moving forward.
Though both PJ Washington and Reid Travis struggled to score the basketball, the two big men were still a wrecking force in the painted area. Travis grabbed 12 rebounds while Washington snagged eight. Washington was also the team’s leader in plus/minus, recording a game-high +12.
Next up on Kentucky’s slate are the Georgia Bulldogs, with Tuesday’s tip-off in Stegeman Coliseum set for 7 P.M. EDT.
