Vanderbilt held off Kentucky 74-69 Saturday afternoon in Nashville.
The loss was Kentucky second in a row, which unfortunately marked the first two-game losing streak of the Mark Pope era.
Here’s a look at that and the other postgame notes from the loss:
KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME
MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM | NASHVILLE, TENN.
JAN. 25, 2025
ATTENDANCE: 14,316
Final Score: No. 9 Kentucky: 69, Vanderbilt: 74
Team Records and Series Notes
Kentucky is now 14-5, 3-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt is 16-4 overall
and 4-3 in the SEC
Kentucky leads the series 157-50
o UK leads 62-28 in games played in Nashville
Mark Pope is 201-113 as head coach, including 14-5 at Kentucky.
Next for Kentucky: UK remains in the state of Tennessee for a road contest against the
Volunteers Tuesday, Jan. 28. Game time is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Team Notes
UK outrebounded Vanderbilt, 43-30. Cats are now 11-1 this season when holding a
rebound advantage
The 14-point halftime deficit was the second largest for Kentucky this season and the
largest in SEC play
Kentucky’s 27 points in the first half were its fewest in any half this season
Kentucky matched its 27-point total from the first half just 9:44 seconds into the second
half
The game featured 17 lead changes and four ties. The Wildcats led for 10:37
Player Notes
Otega Oweh scored 21 points and had a career-high 12 rebounds. It was his first
double-double of the season and the second of his college career. He has scored in
double figures in every game this season. The 21 points tie a season high. Oweh has
scored exactly 21 points five times this season.
Amari Williams finished with a team-high four assists to go along with six points and
five rebounds
Jaxson Robinson had 11 points, his fourth straight double-figure game and 14th of the
season. He was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and has now made at least three triples in
four-straight games
Koby Brea has made a 3-pointer in every game this season and 34-straight contests
overall.
Ansley Almonor matched season-high with 12 points and made a season-best four 3-
pointers
Trent Noah played for 12 minutes and had a career-high four rebounds
In the First Half
Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Ansley
Almonor and Amari Williams. UK has a 0-1 record with this starting lineup
Travis Perry was the first substitution at 16:42
Kentucky held a 23-21 lead with 7:49 to go in the first half. The Commodores went on a
20-4 run over the remainder of the half to lead 41-27 at the intermission
Robinson and Brandon Garrison paced UK in the first half with six points apiece
Jason Edwards led the Commodores with 12 points in the opening 20 minutes
In the Second Half
Kentucky began the second half with the starters
Lamont Butler connected on a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the second half
The Cats opened the second half on an 8-0 run, forcing a Vandy timeout at 17:58
An “and-1” from Otega Oweh out of the timeout extended the run to 11-0
A three from Jaxson Robinson tied the game at 51-51 with 12:48 to play
A layup from Butler with 11:10 to go put Kentucky ahead 53-51 for its first lead since
they held a 23-21 advantage
Oweh scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half
Kentucky led 69-68 with 2:56 remaining, before Vanderbilt scored the final six points of
the game
