- Aug 13, 2018
- 4 min read

PHOTO GALLERY: Wildcats Finish Bahamas Tour With Four-Game Sweep

UK Athletics Photos by Chet White

UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES

KENTUCKY vs. TEAM TORONTO

BIG BLUE BAHAMAS | ATLANTIS IMPERIAL ARENA| PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS

AUG. 12, 2018 ATTENDANCE: 1,308

FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 93, Team Toronto 60

This was Kentucky’s final exhibition game of the Big Blue Bahamas foreign exhibition tour. The players will return home for a week’s break before returning to campus the following week for the start of fall classes on Aug. 22.
UK opens its season with Big Blue Madness on Oct. 12.
UK improved to 134-12 all-time in exhibition games and 9-1 in the Bahamas, including a 4-0 mark this trip. The Wildcats went 5-1 in their previous trip to the Bahamas in 2014.
Kentucky has won its last 13 exhibition games dating back to Nov. 2, 2014, vs. Pikeville.
A total of 5,238 fans attended Kentucky’s four games in the Bahamas, an average of 1,310.
The Wildcats won their four games by an average margin of 29.0 points per game.
Kentucky shot 49.8 percent from the floor over the four games while holding its four professional opponents to 35.4 percent.
UK also dominated on the glass with a 12.5-plus total rebounding margin in the four wins.
For a new team playing together for the first time in August, the Wildcats valued possessions well in the Bahamas. UK dished out 68 assists to just 45 turnovers in the four games.
Tyler Herro finished as the team’s leading scorer (17.3 points per game). Reid Travis was the leading rebounder (10.3 boards per game), Immanuel Quickley was the leading assist man (4.5 dimes per game with two turnovers) and Nick Richards recorded the best field-goal percentage numbers (.800).
Five players (Herro, PJ Washington, Keldon Johnson, Richards and Travis) averaged double figures in the Bahamas. Quade Green was next with 9.0 points per game.
Jemarl Baker missed all four games with swelling in his left knee and EJ Montgomery missed the final three with a lower-back injury. Both are expected to be 100 percent for the start of fall practice.

First-Half Facts

Associate head coach Kenny Payne, serving as the head coach for the second time on the trip, went with Ashton Hagans, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, PJ Washington and Reid Travis as his starting five.
Hagans, Herro and Travis made their first start of the four-game tour.
UK, as it’s done every game in the Big Blue Bahamas, raced to an early lead. After Team Toronto made two free throws to start the game, the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run fueled by a Johnson dunk, a Herro 3 and a Washington jump shot.
Coming off the bench for the first time in the Bahamas, Quade Green made an immediate impact with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 13-6 lead. He scored 10 points in the first half, tied for the team high.
The Wildcats were great defensively yet again. Kentucky held Team Toronto to just 25.0 percent from the floor in the first half.
After Team Toronto pulled within five points at 20-15 after an otherwise sluggish half, the Wildcats woke up with eight straight points for a bit of breathing room.
Overall it was a 19-4 run to close the half. Herro contributed seven points during the spurt and finished with 10 for the half.
Travis just missed out on a first-half double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
Washington was equally as impressive with seven points and six rebounds. He showed off his versatility with two powerful dunks and a 3-pointer.

Second-Half Story

The game was never in doubt in the second half as UK raced out to a 13-5 spurt and led by as many as 33 points multiple times (including the final score).
The Wildcats outscored Team Toronto 54-41 in the second half.
Walk-on Jonny David put a perfect cap on the trip with an “and one” play in the final seconds after the crowd urged Payne to put him in the game.

Team Notes

The Wildcats scored 93 points and recorded at least 85 points in all four games.
Four players made at least two 3-point field goals as the Wildcats made 10 of 22 overall.
Five Wildcats scored in double figures.
UK led for all but 1:06 of the game.
The Wildcats dominated Team Toronto on the glass, 53-36. UK won the battle of the boards in all four games.

Player Notes

Reid Travis posted the second double-double by a Wildcat during the four-game tour with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
He had nine points and 10 boards by halftime.
He showed off his versatility with two 3-pointers in the second half.
His 15 rebounds were the most by a Wildcat on the Big Blue Bahamas trip.
UK was plus-35 on the scoreboard with Travis in the game, a team best.
Quade Green scored 14 points and went 6 of 9 from the floor.
After going 1 of 11 in the first game, Green made 14 of 19 shots over the final three contests.
He scored 10 in the first half.
Tyler Herro was in double figures for his fourth game with 15 points.
He led the Wildcats in scoring in the Bahamas with a 17.3 average.
PJ Washington just missed out on a second straight double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.
He averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the Bahamas.
Keldon Johnson scored in double figures all four games with 13 in the finale.
He averaged 13.3 for the week.