Kentucky basketball parlays two big runs to Colgate victory, awaits rival Louisville next

Posted by author December 12, 2024 Basketball

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LEXINGTON — Two stretches, both seven minutes in length (give or take a few seconds each way), saved Kentucky basketball on Wednesday.

The first: The Wildcats scored the contest’s first 17 points. Then, in the second half, they ripped off another 17-2 run just before the 15-minute mark and ending with 7:33 to play.

In between those two stretches, Colgate outscored UK by 21 points, 65-44.

In the end, No. 5 Kentucky pulled away for a 78-67 win at Rupp Arena.

But the 11-point victory wasn’t nearly as decisive as expected. Not when the Wildcats (9-1) jumped to a 17-0 lead. And not when the Raiders (2-9) came in as 30 ½-point underdogs, entering on a four-game losing streak.

UK was missing two key members of its rotation Wednesday in injured guards Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa. Yet their absences didn’t affect the club early on, when Colgate failed to put a point on the board until the 13:20 mark of the first half.

And 13 minutes later, that lead almost had entirely evaporated.

Colgate’s Parker Jones swished a 3 as time expired in the half to cut UK’s advantage to 38-36 at intermission.

The Raiders kept up their momentum out of halftime, as the lead changed hands six times before the Wildcats put away the visitors for good thanks to the 17-2 mid-half run.

UK remains at home for its next game, hosting in-state rival Louisville at 5:15 p.m. Saturday.

ESPN will carry the national television broadcast.

This story will be updated.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.