Reed, Rob combine for 45 points & 10 threes off the bench in UK MBB home win over Stonehill

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WYMT) - Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham starred off the bench in the 17th ranked Kentucky men’s basketball team’s home win over Stonehill on Friday, Nov. 17.

The Cats trailed 10-5 to start the game, but UK brought the game back into their favor on a Dillingham drive-and-kick to Antonio Reeves, who nailed a left wing three-pointer that ignited the team.

The shooting would become contagious as Sheppard nailed back-to-back threes that fueled UK’s 11-2 run in the first half.

Sheppard lit it up the rest of the way, finishing with 25 points and seven triples.

Dillingham also contributed heavily with 20 points himself, along with 7 assists and 2 steals.

“Reed was tremendous,” Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari said. “So was Rob and there’s a lot of good stuff. We should have had six guys in double figures.”

The Cats would let a 58-37 halftime lead come back down to single digits after a slow start in the second half.

Stonehill outscored UK in the first eight minutes of the second half, until more threes rained down at Rupp Arena.

While Sheppard, Dillingham, and transfer forward Tre Mitchell had the hot hand tonight, others like DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards struggled offensively.

Both finished with 9 points. Wagner shot 3-9 from the field and 3-8 from beyond the arc.

Edwards shot 50% from the field and missed all three of his three-point attempts.

“That’s going to be a big thing,” Sheppard said. “We got eight dudes that can go out and have a great night, so when somebody else has a good night, you just have to give them a hug and be happy for them.”

The Cats distributed the ball efficiently, nearly doubling Stonehill’s assists with 26 for the evening.

“I feel like with any group that’s how we tried to play,” Dillingham said. “We tried to shoot open shots, get the ball to the open man, and make plays.”

The Cats will return to action Monday, Nov. 20 at Rupp Arena against Saint Jospeh’s at 7:00 p.m.

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