No. 8 Kentucky Downs Jackets, 67-53

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Lexington, Ky. – Moses Wright posted his second double-double this season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but Kentucky’s defense limited Georgia Tech to 37.9 percent shooting and one three-point field goal in the second half, carrying the 8^th-ranked Wildcats to a 67-53 victory Saturday evening at Rupp Arena.

Bubba Parham and Khalid Moore each scored 10 points for the Yellow Jackets, who lost their second straight game to fall to 4-4. Kentucky won its sixth straight game to improve to 8-1.

Ashton Hagans led Kentucky with 21 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, scoring in a variety of ways by going 8-of-10 from the floor. Immanuel Quickley scored 16 for the Wildcats, while Nick Richards added 12 points and Keion Brooks, Jr., chipped in with 10.

Tech finished the game shooting 43.4 percent from the floor, including 5-of-18 from three-point range. The Wildcats finished at 47.1 percent overall, 4-of-12 from three-point range. The teams combined for 33 turnovers.

Kentucky started quickly, hitting its first three shots to take a 7-2 lead, but the Yellow Jackets steadied themselves and led by as many as five points, 26-21, on a three-point play by Moore at the 7:23 mark of the first half. Tech missed six of its last eight shots in the half, however, as the Wildcats ratcheted up their defense to fuel a 15-4 run, leading 36-30 at intermission.

Tech closed its deficit to 44-41 in the second half on a Moore three-pointer, but missed its next seven shots from the floor, and 10 of the next 11, as the Wildcats padded their lead to double digits.

Tech returns to action Wednesday, Dec. 18, hosting Ball State at McCamish Pavilion. Tipoff is at 7 p.m., and the game will be televised live on the ACC’s Regional Sports Networks.

Khalid Moore scored 10 points with three assists, playing the majority of his minutes as the Jackets’ point guard. (photo by Evan Brown)

 

Post-Game Notes

TEAM NOTES

• Tech has trailed at halftime in six of eight games this season. The Jackets are 12-43 under Josh Pastner when trailing at the half.
• Tech has lost its last 13 games against teams ranked among the top 25 in one or both national rankings.
• Tech, third in the nation in blocked shots coming into the game, blocked only four against Kentucky and just six in its last two games, dropping its average to 6.8 per game this season.
• Tech has connected on just 22-of-84 three-point field goals in its last four games (2-for-11 vs. Arkansas, 2-for-10 vs. Bethune-Cookman, 5-for-23 vs. Nebraska, 7-for-18 vs. Syracuse, 5-for-18 at Kentucky) after hitting 21-of-63 (33.3 percent) in the first three games of the season. The Jackets are hitting 28.9 percent for the season

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Moses Wright has averaged 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds over his last four games, and hit 56 percent of his shots from the floor (28-of-50) in that stretch.
• Wright posted his second career double-double (13 pts, 10 reb) against Kentucky. He missed double-doubles by one rebound each against Nebraska and Syracuse after pisting the first of his career against Bethune-Cookman (12 and 12).
• Wright played a season-high 38:20 against Kentucky, and just shy of the career-high 39 minutes he played in Tech’s victory at NC State last March 6.
• Bubba Parham has averaged 8.8 points with four double-figure games over his last six games. He had 10 points against Kentucky, including a pair of three-point field goals and is 9-for-27 from distance over those six games.
• Michael Devoe, the ACC’s leading scorer coming into today’s action, scored a season-low five points on 2-of-11 shooting from the floor and 0-of-5 from three-point range. The nation’s leader in three-point shooting and scoring earlier in the season, the sophomore has scored just 12 points and hit 1-of-10 three-point tries (4-for-23 overall) in Tech’s last two games.
• Khalid Moore reached double digits against Kentucky (10 points) for the first time since scoring 11 in Tech’s season opener at NC State.
• James Banks III blocked three shots at Kentucky, and has 31 in eight games this season for an average of 3.875, still No. 1 in the ACC and 1.3 per game more than last season.

Bubba Parham knocked down a pair of three-point field goals and scored 10 points for the Yellow Jackets. (photo by Evan Brown)

 

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