Collin Chandler and Kam Williams netted 13 points each and all five starters scored in double figures as No. 12 Kentucky got back on track with an 88-46 blowout victory over Loyola (Maryland) on Friday night in Lexington, Ken.
After dropping two of their previous three games to ranked Louisville and Michigan State squads, the Wildcats (4-2) were never tested by the visitors from the Patriot League and led by as many as 48 in the second half.
In his first start for Kentucky, Williams made 5 of 9 shots and added nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Chandler was good on 5 of 12 shots including 3 of 6 from deep.
Otega Oweh had 11 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Denzel Aberdeen totaled 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Malachi Moreno produced 10 points, eight boards and four blocks.
The Wildcats shot 48.7% from the field and held a 52-16 edge in points in the paint.
Loyola-Maryland (2-5) was led by Troy Cicero Jr.’s seven points. Sebastien Emenalo, Emmett Adair, Jacob Theodosiou and Jordan Stiemke had six each.
Loyola made 18 of 62 (29%) from the floor and 7 of 33 (21.2%) from three-point range.
Kentucky was on fire from the outset, sinking 9 of its first 10 shots from the floor and creating a 20-8 lead in less than five minutes as Chandler hit two treys and Oweh made all three shots before the media timeout.
It only got worse for the Greyhounds from there, as Kentucky finished the half on a 20-2 run to take a 50-20 advantage into halftime.
Chandler poured in 11 points in the first 20 minutes, while Oweh tallied nine and Williams seven.
Stiemke had all six of his points in the first half for Loyola-Maryland.
In the first three minutes of the second half, the two sides could not hit the net until Adair scooped in a short bank shot. However, Oweh, Chandler and Williams had consecutive thunderous dunks to lead 56-22. Aberdeen’s jumper increased it to 58-22 at 15:15.
Williams’ layup at 4:50 pushed it to 82-34 for Kentucky’s largest lead of the matchup.
