Backcourt injuries and fatigue left No. 5 Kentucky trailing early in the second half before a 3-point shooting run jump-started the Wildcats to a 78-67 nonconference home victory over a feisty Colgate squad on Wednesday.
With point guards Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa sidelined by injuries, No. 5 Kentucky (9-1) shot 4-for-15 from 3-point range in the opening stanza and led Colgate just 38-36 at halftime before heating up later.
Koby Brea was a bright spot on a relatively poor shooting night by Kentucky, as the Dayton transfer scored 17 points, including 5-for-8 3-point shooting. Amari Williams added 15 points and eight rebounds. Otega Oweh notched 15 points, while Jaxson Robinson chipped in 11 and Andrew Carr posted a double-double with 11 tallies and 10 boards.
Colgate (2-9) has struggled, showing little in common with coach Matt Langel’s squads that reached the last four NCAA Tournaments. However, the Raiders connected on eight 3-point tries in the first half and held a 45-42 lead early in the second half.
Parker Jones managed 17 points, including four 3-point buckets, one of which pulled Colgate within two to end the first half. Brady Cummins and Jalen Cox (eight assists) each added 10 for the Raiders.
Kentucky ran off a 16-2 rally to counter a three-point Colgate lead and claim a 58-47 edge with 12:58 to play. Kentucky had made only four 3-point shots to that point, but connected on four consecutive 3-point tries in the run. Robinson canned a pair of treys, followed by one each from Trent Noah and Oweh.
Kentucky opened the game on a 17-0 run and seemed headed for a runaway victory. But the hosts’ lack of depth surfaced and a sticky Colgate team hung around, aided by its own 11-0 spurt to cut the deficit to 17-11. Colgate pulled within two on three occasions late in the first half and jumped to a 45-42 edge with 17:30 to play on a jump shot from Jones.
Kentucky’s next game is Saturday against rival Louisville. Colgate will host Vermont on Sunday.