No. 23 Kentucky placed five players in double figures on its way to a 76-65 win over 19th-ranked Texas Tech on Friday night at Rupp Arena.
Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno led the Cats with 15 points, while freshman Mason Williams came off the bench to score 14. Alex Wilkins had 13 and Ousmane N’Diaye added 10 for the Cats.
The game was decided at the free throw line. Kentucky made 19 of 22 (86.4 percent) from the charity stripe while Texas Tech made just five of six (83.3 percent).
Kentucky scored first on a dunk by Zoom Diallo off an assist from Moreno. After TTU tied the game, UK took the lead back on an N’Diaye bucket. However, the Red Raiders responded by scoring the next seven points to lead 9-4.
That run was stopped by a Moreno layup, followed by two Momcilovic free throws that cut the deficit to 9-8. However, Texas Tech scored the next five to lead by six.
N’Diaye scored underneath to get UK within four and Williams converted a fast-break layup to make it 14-12. The Red Raiders scored the next four before Momcilovic hit a fadeaway jumper to get the Cats within four, 18-14.
Texas Tech would take a 25-18 lead, but Kentucky answered with a 15-0 scoring run to take a 28-25 lead. Justin McBride scored on a layup, N’Diaye converted an old fashioned three-point play, Moreno scored on a dunk, Momcilovic hit a corner three, then hit three free throws and Moreno scored in the paint to give the Cats a 33-25 lead with 3:20 left in the half.
The Red Raiders hit a three to get within five before Williams scored at the rim to give UK a 35-28 lead. Tech scored the next five to get within two but Wilkins scored just before the halftime buzzer and the Cats took a 37-33 lead into the break.
Kentucky scored the first five points of the second half on a basket by Diallo and a three from N’Diaye to extend the lead to 42-33. After a Red Raiders’ basket, Moreno broke free underneath for a layup to give UK a 44-35 advantage.
Williams hit a right-side three to extend the lead to 12, but TTU responded with a pair of threes to cut the UK lead to 47-41. The teams would trade baskets, with Moreno scoring for the Cats before Williams made a pair of free throws to give the Cats a 51-43 lead. However, the Red Raiders scored the next four to cut the lead in half.
A Diallo free throw stretched the lead to five, but TTU scored five in a row to tie the game at 52 apiece. Two Wilkins free throws gave UK the lead back, but the Red Raiders responded with two of their own to tie the game at 54-54.
Williams drilled a three on UK’s next possession, Moreno hit a free throw and Williams scored again, giving the Cats a 60-54 lead. TTU would cut into the UK lead, eventually getting it to 62-59 before Wilkins hit a three to give Kentucky a six-point advantage. Later, Wilkins hit another three to give the Cats a 70-61 lead with 2:52 remaining. UK would take a 73-63 lead on a Momcilovic three with 1:45 remaining.
Kentucky completes the exhibition portion of the schedule on Wednesday, hosting Central Florida at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.