Southern Jaguars vs Kentucky Wildcats Match Player Stats On Dec 07, 2021

Oscar Tshiebwe scored 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting and collected 11 rebounds and a season-best four blocks to lead No. 10 Kentucky to a 76-64 victory over visiting Southern in a Unity Series matchup Tuesday night in Lexington, Ky.

TyTy Washington Jr. added 14 points for the Wildcats (7-1), who won their seventh straight game. The game was the first of Kentucky's five-year agreement with the Southwestern Athletic Conference to play a game each season against a historically black college.

Tshiebwe scored 18 points in the second half after Kentucky led 38-34 at the break. The Wildcats led by as many as 14 in the second half.

Jayden Saddler recorded 18 points and six assists, Brion Whitley added 14 points and Tyrone Lyons had 12 for Southern (3-6). The Jaguars shot 41.4 percent from the field and were 5-for-13 from 3-point range.

Kentucky shot 49.1 percent from the field, including 6-for-20 from behind the arc. The Wildcats had a 41-25 rebounding edge.

Southern trailed by four early in the second half before the Wildcats rattled off nine straight points.

Tshiebwe converted a three-point play and Washington buried a 3-pointer to cap the surge and give Kentucky a 49-36 advantage with 16 minutes remaining.

The Wildcats again led by 13 just over five minutes later before the Jaguars received a 3-pointer by Terrell Williams Jr., a driving hoop by Saddler and a fast-break layup by Williams to creep within 55-49 with 9:18 left.

The margin was seven after a jumper by Lyons with 7:10 left before Tshiebwe scored four points during a 6-0 run to make it 66-53 with 4:51 left.

Whitley scored five straight points to pull Southern within eight with 4:05 left. Tshiebwe scored the next six points to give Kentucky a 72-58 lead with 1:58 left and the club finished off the win.

Southern played Kentucky to a standstill for the first 16 minutes.

Kellan Grady drained his third 3-pointer of the half to start a 9-0 push that saw the Wildcats open up a 35-26 lead with 2:45 left in the half.

The Jaguars pulled within four when Saddler banked in a runner with less than one second remaining.

--Field Level Media