LEXINGTON — Six games into the season, Kentucky basketball already had shown it’s flashy.
Friday, it displayed some fight.
A scuffle in the middle of the second half against Georgia State lit a spark under No. 8 UK. Then, the Wildcats buried the overmatched visitors.
At the time of the confrontation, which occurred with 12:37 remaining, Kentucky led 61-53. The Wildcats scored 44 of the game’s final 67 points to post a 105-76 win at Rupp Arena.
The incident started when GSU forward Clash Peters flung UK center Amari Williams to the floor. After the Wildcats took umbrage with the hard foul, the teams had to be separated. After a lengthy review at the scorer’s table, officials handed out multiple technical fouls, two to Kentucky (guards Koby Brea and Otega Oweh) and two to Georgia State (Peters and forward Zarique Nutter). Because officials ruled the technicals canceled out, no player was ejected.
The resolve Mark Pope’s club showed after the on-court clash might help in its next outing, when UK has its first true road game of the season. Kentucky takes on Clemson in Clemson, South Carolina, on Tuesday. The game is part of this year’s ACC/SEC Challenge.
The contest is slated for a 9:30 p.m. tipoff. ESPN will carry the national television broadcast.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball, Mark Pope beat Georgia State at Rupp Arena
