LEXINGTON, Ky. — What started as a homecoming for the Griffon Men's Basketball's coaching staff turned into a hotly-contested exhibition, as Missouri Western fell late to No. 4 Kentucky, 56-38, on Sunday night at Rupp Arena.
Both teams had a tough time shooting in the first half, with MWSU shooting just 31% while Kentucky shot 40%. The Griffons out-rebounded the Wildcats 20-17, which contributed to MWSU's early control of the game and its near two minutes in the lead. Both of the Griffons' 6-5 and 8-7 advantages were courtesy of
Will Eames layups, leading him to a team-high 12 points.
The Wildcats eventually took a 12-point lead thanks to an 8-0 run late in the first. The Griffons responded with a Julius Dixon jump shot and a layup by Matt Nunez to only trail the John Calipari's Wildcats 26-18 going into halftime.
"Man, did they play hard," Calipari said. "You think that one point they'd go away. But they didn't."
Missouri Western center Alex John hits a hookshot vs. Kentucky on Sunday night at Rupp Arena.
The Griffons kept the game within reach throughout the rest of the night, cutting the lead to as little as six with another bucket by Eames in the paint to begin the second half. Two 5-0 Kentucky spurts kept the game in the Wildcats' favor for the rest of the night, but the Griffons still left their mark in paint, outscoring Kentucky down low, 24-14.
The fight the Griffons gave Sunday left a lasting impression on Calipari, who complimented MWSU's coaching staff for its efforts.
"They did better job than me. (Will) is a heck of a coach. A heck of a coach."
Will Martin, Jon Hood, Perry Stevenson and the Griffon bench observe the action at Rupp Arena.
This game marked the first time former Wildcats
Will Martin,
Jon Hood and
Perry Stevenson returned to Rupp Arena on the opposing bench. Ten years after serving as Kentucky's manager, Martin says he's happy to see the coaching model he's borrowed from Calipari reap positive results.
"We don't have the resources you all have here at Kentucky, but we do everything the way we do because of Coach Cal," Martin said. "For me, personally, it's a feeling of humility and gratitude that Coach Cal would have has us back. Everything I am as a man, as a coach. is because of Coach Cal."
After barely beating Benedictine in MWSU's first exhibition. Martin is excited to see that Sunday's game was a step in the right direction heading into the regular season.
"I'm so proud of the way our guys played defense tonight," Martin said. "We were bad in our first exhibition, and I was hard on them in practice after that."
Taye Fields threw down two fast-break dunks on Sunday night inside Rupp Arena.
Missouri Western shot 9-for-22 from beyond the arc vs. Benedictine but only shot 2-for-15 against UK. Martin did note he is pleased with his team's toughness inside the paint despite shooting 27% lower from downtown compared to their outing vs. the Ravens
"We have to put those things together. We have the talent and the want-to to put that full package together."
"Credit to Missouri Western, Calipari said. I'm proud of Will, Jon and Perry. It looks like they're pointed towards a pretty good season."
Will Martin chats with John Calipari after Sunday night's game in Lexington.
NOTABLES
- Taye Fields led the Griffons with eight rebounds, while Eames snagged seven.
- Reed Kemp (1-for-1) and Ethan Kilgore (1-for-4) hit the lone 3-pointers for MWSU.
- The Wildcats scored 17 points on 16 forced turnovers.
UP NEXT
Missouri Western begins the official 2022-23 season on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. against Minnesota-Crookston at the Hillyard Men's Basketball Tip-Off Classic at the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons play Northern State on Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
