LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky shot 59 percent from the field and 50 percent beyond the arc as the Wildcats defeated No. 25 Vanderbilt, 91-77, on Saturday afternoon in Rupp Arena.
Defensive breakdowns plagued Vanderbilt (22-7, 9-7 SEC) early as Kentucky (19-10, 10-6 SEC) hit seven of its first nine shots and seven of its first 10 three-pointers to open a 34-18 lead.
Tyler Tanner paced the Commodores with 19 points, adding six assists and a pair of steals in the loss. Four other Commodores finished in double figures with Jalen Washington scoring 16, Tyler Nickel 13, AK Okereke 12 and Duke Miles 11. Miles also produced seven assists.
The Cats were led by 23 points from both Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh. Chandler canned six threes, five of which came in the first half to power Kentucky’s early lead. Denzel Aberdeen added 15 and Malachi Moreno 11 to give the Cats four in double figures.
Kentucky’s 59 percent shooting performance from the field is the highest mark surrendered by the Commodores this season. The Cats’ 11 threes also mark a season high for Vandy foes. Vanderbilt meanwhile shot 52 percent from the field but just 7-of-28 from behind the arc. Vandy went 23-of-30 from inside the arc but could not keep pace with the hot-shooting Cats.
The Commodores turned the ball over 11 times in the loss, leading to 17 Kentucky points. Kentucky also held a 10-point edge at the free throw line, hitting 20-of-25 attempts while the Dores were 10-of-11.
Vanderbilt continues is season-ending road trip with a visit to Ole Miss on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network+ against the Rebels.
