Dillingham scores 23, No. 15 Kentucky pulls away from Vanderbilt 93-77 for 4th consecutive win
AP
Mar 07, 2024
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) Rob Dillingham scored 23 points, including consecutive 3-pointers just before halftime, Antonio Reeves added 20 in his home finale and No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats rode 56% second-half shooting to pull away from Vanderbilt Commodores 93-77 on Wednesday night for its fourth victory in a row.
The Wildcats (22-8, 12-6 Southeastern Conference) went back and forth with the Commodores (8-22, 3-14) for much of the first half before taking the lead for good just before the break as Reed Sheppard made the first of Kentucky's four straight 3s. Dillingham followed with a pair before Reeves capped the run with another from deep with three seconds remaining for a 45-40 edge.
Dillingham added seven consecutive points midway through the second half to help put Kentucky up 68-55. Another run built a 19-point cushion with 4:04 left and the Wildcats went on to complete a season sweep of the Commodores.
“Knowing that he's like a little microwave out there, it's really just fun to see,” Reeves said of Dillingham. “When he gets the ball, just get out of the way because you know he's going to make a play.”
Tyrin Lawrence had 23 points for the Commodores, who have dropped five of six.
Dillingham shot 5 of 6 with a 3-pointer after halftime to finish 3 of 4 from long range and 9 for 15 overall. Kentucky was outshot 53% to 46% in the first half before improving to make 20 of 36 from the field and finish at 51% while Vanderbilt converted just 38%.
Reeves shot 8 of 17 in his sixth consecutive 20-point game and 17th this season. He also grabbed six rebounds. Sheppard had eight points and tied a career high with 11 of Kentucky's 27 assists.
D.J. Wagner added 11 points and Justin Edwards had 10 for Kentucky, which made 11 of 27 3-pointers and outrebounded Vandy 44-32.
Ezra Manjon had 17 points, Ven-Allen Lubin 13 and Paul Lewis 10 for the Commodores, who finished 5 of 23 from long range.
Kentucky regulars Reeves and Trey Mitchell and reserve guard Kareem Watkins were honored before the game on Senior Night. Also recognized was Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden, who rappelled down from the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge last Friday to rescue a driver trapped in the cab of her wrecked tractor-trailer as it dangled precariously over the Ohio River. Carden sat behind the Wildcats bench.
BIG PICTURE
Vanderbilt: The Commodores actually started faster than Kentucky and helped their cause by shooting 53% before halftime. They struggled to keep pace on the boards and contain the Wildcats' perimeter game, which allowed Kentucky to take momentum into the break. Their consolation was outscoring Kentucky 48-40 in the paint.
“Maybe the guys thought that they were a little bit too far out, 4 or 5 feet behind the line," coach Jerry Stackhouse said. "But for those guys it isn’t too far out and they made us pay for it. ... We had an opportunity to really have some momentum going into the half, but we went down five just because of their ability to step up and make big shots.”
Kentucky: A double bye in the SEC Tournament and maybe even a second-place finish in the league standings is in play for the Wildcats following a victory that took a while to put together. They overcame a slow start shooting by stringing together baskets before the break. They also owned the boards for the second consecutive game and by the third-largest margin this season; they were plus-22 against Vandy the first time around.
UP NEXT
Kentucky visits No. 4 Tennessee on Saturday in the regular-season finale.
Vanderbilt hosts Florida on Saturday in their finale.
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1st Half
VANDY
Commodores
40
UK
Wildcats
45
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Ven-Allen Lubin vs. D.J. Wagner (Commodores gains possession)
19:50
Ugonna Onyenso blocks Ven-Allen Lubin's two point layup
19:48
Kareem Watkins defensive rebound
19:36
Tre Mitchell misses three point jump shot
19:34
Ezra Manjon defensive rebound
19:17
+2
Ezra Manjon makes two point layup
2-0
18:54
JaQualon Roberts personal foul (Kareem Watkins draws the foul)
18:50
+2
Antonio Reeves makes two point jump shot (D.J. Wagner assists)
2-2
18:21
Ugonna Onyenso blocks Malik Presley's two point layup
18:19
Antonio Reeves defensive rebound
18:08
Justin Edwards misses three point jump shot
18:06
Tyrin Lawrence defensive rebound
17:58
+2
Ezra Manjon makes two point layup
4-2
17:44
+2
Ugonna Onyenso makes two point layup (D.J. Wagner assists)
4-4
17:14
+2
Ezra Manjon makes two point jump shot
6-4
17:03
Antonio Reeves misses three point jump shot
17:01
Tyrin Lawrence defensive rebound
16:56
Tre Mitchell personal foul
16:41
Ven-Allen Lubin misses two point hook shot
16:39
Zvonimir Ivisic defensive rebound
16:24
Rob Dillingham misses two point jump shot
16:22
JaQualon Roberts defensive rebound
16:01
Ven-Allen Lubin offensive foul
16:01
Ven-Allen Lubin turnover (offensive foul)
15:48
Zvonimir Ivisic misses three point jump shot
15:46
Ezra Manjon defensive rebound
15:40
Ezra Manjon misses two point jump shot
15:38
Reed Sheppard defensive rebound
15:33
Reed Sheppard turnover (bad pass) (JaQualon Roberts steals)
15:26
Malik Presley misses three point jump shot
15:24
Justin Edwards defensive rebound
15:06
TV timeout
15:01
Reed Sheppard misses three point jump shot
14:59
Adou Thiero offensive rebound
14:47
Rob Dillingham turnover (bad pass) (Paul Lewis steals)
14:34
Ezra Manjon misses two point jump shot
14:32
Adou Thiero defensive rebound
14:15
+2
Adou Thiero makes two point layup
6-6
13:55
Paul Lewis turnover (traveling)
13:41
+2
Antonio Reeves makes two point layup (Reed Sheppard assists)
6-8
13:22
Ezra Manjon misses two point layup
13:20
Zvonimir Ivisic defensive rebound
13:15
Zvonimir Ivisic misses three point jump shot
13:13
Evan Taylor defensive rebound
13:00
+2
Tyrin Lawrence makes two point layup
8-8
12:55
+2
Antonio Reeves makes two point layup (Reed Sheppard assists)
8-10
12:41
+3
Tyrin Lawrence makes three point jump shot (Ezra Manjon assists)
11-10
12:34
Zvonimir Ivisic offensive foul
12:34
Zvonimir Ivisic turnover (offensive foul)
12:10
Paul Lewis misses three point jump shot
12:08
Antonio Reeves defensive rebound
12:02
Aaron Bradshaw misses two point dunk
12:00
Aaron Bradshaw offensive rebound
12:00
Evan Taylor shooting foul (Aaron Bradshaw draws the foul)
12:00
TV timeout
12:00
+1
Aaron Bradshaw makes regular free throw 1 of 2
11-11
12:00
Aaron Bradshaw misses regular free throw 2 of 2
12:00
Tyrin Lawrence defensive rebound
11:36
+2
Tyrin Lawrence makes two point jump shot
13-11
11:26
+3
D.J. Wagner makes three point jump shot (Reed Sheppard assists)
13-14
11:02
Aaron Bradshaw shooting foul (JaQualon Roberts draws the foul)
11:02
JaQualon Roberts misses regular free throw 1 of 2
11:02
+1
JaQualon Roberts makes regular free throw 2 of 2
14-14
10:52
Reed Sheppard misses three point jump shot
10:50
Paul Lewis defensive rebound
10:44
+2
Paul Lewis makes two point jump shot
16-14
10:37
Rob Dillingham misses two point jump shot
10:35
Aaron Bradshaw offensive rebound
10:29
+2
D.J. Wagner makes two point jump shot
16-16
10:11
Tre Mitchell blocks Evan Taylor's three point jump shot
10:09
JaQualon Roberts offensive rebound
9:57
Ezra Manjon misses two point jump shot
9:55
Aaron Bradshaw defensive rebound
9:51
Rob Dillingham offensive foul
9:51
Rob Dillingham turnover (offensive foul)
9:36
+3
Paul Lewis makes three point jump shot (Ezra Manjon assists)