No. 23 Kentucky barely held off a determined James Madison team, eventually pulling away for an 89-80 win on Friday night. The Wildcats, now 2-0, had to battle through a wild game that saw a ridiculous eighteen lead changes and five ties before they could finally breathe a little easier.
Wildcats Find a Way Through the Chaos
This one was a real nail-biter, folks. Kentucky found themselves down 56-54 at one point, but then they flipped the switch. A massive 15-3 run turned that deficit into a 69-59 lead with just 10 minutes left on the clock. That burst was absolutely crucial, and it was Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins who stepped up huge, each dropping 16 points to lead the charge. Diallo was hot early, putting up 10 points in the first half alone, including six during a quick 9-0 run that helped keep the Wildcats in it.
But while some Wildcats were on fire, there was one stat line that definitely raised eyebrows: Milan Momcilovic, who usually averages a stellar 24 points per game, finished with just seven points. That’s a huge drop-off and something the Wildcats will want to figure out fast. Other guys stepped up though, with former James Madison forward Justin McBride adding 13 points, Mason Williams putting in 12, and Brayden Hawthorne chipping in 10. McBride was clutch from deep, hitting three of Kentucky’s 10 total 3-pointers.
Dukes Don’t Back Down
Credit where credit’s due: James Madison, even at 0-2, came to play. They refused to roll over, hitting an impressive 15 3-pointers on the night, with nine of those falling in the first half to keep them right in the mix. Brandon Lee was absolutely incredible for the Dukes, pouring in a game-high 26 points. Garrett Sundra added 15 points and Paul Jones III chipped in 12. It had to be tough for James Madison coach Preston Spradlin to watch his team lose, especially since he used to be on staff at Kentucky from 2009-14, even serving as director of operations for three of those seasons. He knows those Kentucky walls well!
Kentucky hosts Kansas on Tuesday, which is going to be a massive test. James Madison will look for their first win on Wednesday when they head to Delaware. This early season close call for Kentucky shows they’ve got some grit, but they’ll need more consistency, especially from their big scorers, if they want to keep that No. 23 ranking.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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