After a slow start to the first half for the second straight week in a row, the Kentucky Wildcats once again went on a big second-half run that ended up propelling them to a comeback victory over Rick Pitino and No. 22 St. John’s 78-66.
This also marked the debut of sophomore sensation Jayden Quaintance, who did not disappoint at all. Otega Oweh led the way with 20 points on the afternoon, and the Kentucky defense once again came through when they needed to in order to come away with the win.
Unlike
the first month and a half, the Big Blue faithful now have lots of reasons to be optimistic about their squad moving forward into the new year. The Wildcats host the Bellarmine Knights this upcoming Tuesday as they look to build more momentum heading into SEC play.
Who stood out in this impressive victory over St. John’s?
Kam Williams
An individual who has grown on BBN over the last month is Kam Williams. The Tulane transfer has continued to bring that desperately needed energy on the defensive end for the Wildcats and has also been a consistent spark whenever he’s on the floor.
Williams had his best game as a Wildcat, finishing with 11 points that included a couple of important 3s in that big second-half Wildcats run that ultimately led them to victory. If this version of Kam continues to show up, it would be a massive boost for a Kentucky offense that has struggled from deep.
Jaland Lowe
After re-injuring his shoulder within seconds in the first half, it seemed as if the Wildcats had suffered another unfortunate setback with Jaland Lowe, who could have played a huge part in their success going forward.
Thankfully, Lowe put all of those worries to rest as he returned and finished with 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists, all coming after halftime. Kentucky most likely doesn’t win this game without his presence in the second half. In fact, Kentucky very likely loses each of the last two games without Lowe and is looking at a season resembling what we saw in the COVID-19 campaign.
Otega Oweh
Oweh led the way for the Wildcats as he finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. 11 of those 20 points came in the second half as the Red Storm had no answer for the preseason SEC Player of the Year.
I think it’s safe to say that Oweh has again found his rhythm after a slow start through the opening stretch games of the season. He’s really come on strong as of late, and Kentucky needs every bit of it, especially on the offensive end.
Jayden Quaintance
Quaintance was everything and then some for the Wildcats in his debut against the Red Storm. You could tell the fans and players were stoked for his Kentucky debut from the start, as he brought tenacious defense, energy, and constant activity around the rim to the fold all afternoon.
JQ finished his first game as a Wildcat with 10 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Kentucky most definitely missed someone like JQ in the frontcourt for the first month and a half of the season. The scary and most exciting thing is that this was just a glimpse of what he could do.
That’s why it’s very important for him to not only get into game shape as the season moves forward, but for him to really stay healthy because this squad will have to have him if they hope to have the type of season they’re hoping and wanting.
