Tigers show poise, fight at Kentucky
Rupp Arena can be an intimidating place for any visiting player taking on the Kentucky Wildcats. Georgetown showed no fear in an exhibition on Friday night and actually led multiple times in the first half. Kentucky went on a 19-6 run to start the 2nd half, en route to a 92-69 win.
The Tigers came out aggressive defensively in the early going, tallying 3 blocks in the first 2:39 of the game. They would finish with 8 blocks in total. With Kentucky leading 8-6, Rashad Bishop tied the game with a putback off a missed jump shot. Georgetown would then take a 10-8 lead as a Kentucky turnover led to a Cam Brooks-Harris alley-oop slam from Jaquay Wales at the 13:44 mark of the 1st half. Kyran Jones followed with a basket on the next trip to put the Tigers up 12-10. The Wildcats responded with a 16-6 run to take a 26-18 lead with 7:44 to go in the half. The teams traded baskets until the 2:03 mark when Kentucky went up 35-27 on a lay-in by Jordan Burks.
The Tigers turned up their aggressiveness on offense and chipped away. Free throws from Kyran Jones and Cam Brooks-Harris brought GC within 5 at 35-30 with under a minute left. Out of a Georgetown timeout, Rashad Bishop caught in inbound lob at laid the ball in. Isaiah Mason then forced a Reed Sheppard turnover, leading to another Cam Brooks-Harris alley-oop slam. This time the pass came from Tae Dozier and the Tigers had a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 35-34. Dozier had a chance to put Georgetown ahead at the half but missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and so Kentucky led 35-34 at halftime. Georgetown shot 54% inside the 3-point arc in the half, while blocking 5 Wildcat shots and holding UK to just 41% from the field.
At the start of the 2nd half, Kentucky turned its intensity up several notches. The Wildcats raced out to a 13-2 start in the first 2:27 to take a 48-36 lead before a Jaquay Wales jumper quieted the blue & white crowd. Kentucky later took a 56-43 lead with 15:09 to go before Georgetown countered with 5 straight to get back within 8. Kyran Jones knocked down a midrange jumper with 10:51 to go that brought Georgetown to within 9 at 61-52, but the Cats' Rob Dillingham scored just 13 seconds later. It would be the last time the Tigers were within single digits. Kentucky gradually stretched the lead out for the remainder of the game, leading to the 23-point final margin. Kentucky shot 57% in the half, compared to just 36% for Georgetown.
Cam Brooks-Harris led the Tigers with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 24 minutes of action. Kyran Jones finished with 15 points, 8 boards and 2 blocks. Jaquay Wales added 11 points and 3 assists.
After the game, Kentucky Head Coach, John Calipari, commented on the Tigers' effort to fans during his postgame radio show. "Let me say this...how about Georgetown? They're a good team. They played harder than [Kentucky] did in the first half. They're going to compete for a national championship and win a lot of games."
Georgetown Head Coach, Chris Briggs, was equally proud of his team. "I'm so proud of our guys, proud of their fight. We told them coming in it wasn't going to be easy. We were going to have to scrap and claw for everything...They just kept fighting, kept clawing, stayed at it, stuck together, played hard, and competed. What a phenomenal experience for our guys to play in Rupp Arena. We are so appreciative of Coach Cal, Chris Woolard, and Mitch Barnhart for helping to provide our guys with this great opportunity."
In front of a crowd of 18,454 and countless more watching on television, it was clear the Georgetown Tigers did themselves proud on a big night at Rupp Arena.