Cason Wallace and Jacob Toppin each scored 14 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 19 Kentucky edged unranked Michigan 73-69 on Sunday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase game at London.
Wallace hit all four of his 3-point attempts, including one with 1:08 remaining and the Wildcats clinging to a 68-66 lead. Toppin made two free throws with 28.7 seconds left to help the Wildcats (6-2) close out the victory.
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Oscar Tshiebwe battled foul problems but still posted his 44th career double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Sahvir Wheeler and Antonio Reeves scored 11 points each for Kentucky.
Hunter Dickinson led the Wolverines (5-3) with 23 points and added nine rebounds with three blocked shots.
Jett Howard also was in double figures with 16 points, getting 10 of those in the second half after he played just over seven minutes of the opening half after picking up two early fouls. Kobe Bufkin had 11 points for Michigan.
The Wildcats opened the second half on a 12-6 surge that increased their one-point halftime lead to 49-42. Wallace ignited the run with consecutive 3-pointers. The Wolverines responded with a 9-0 run to regain the lead at 50-49 just over seven minutes into the period.
The Wildcats came back and built a 60-54 lead just pas the midpoint of the second half and were up 66-58 with 4:29 remaining, but the Wolverines cut that down to a basket at 68-66 on Dickinson’s dunk with 1:44 remaining in the game.
There were six ties and the biggest lead either team held in the first half was Michigan’s 17-11 margin at the 13:19 mark following Howard’s three free throws. Kentucky’s biggest lead was a 3-point margin on several occasions, and the Wildcats led 37-36 at halftime.
Tschiebwe held the upper hand in the matchup of the two big men in the first with 11 points over the first 20 minutes to Dickinson’s eight, but had to sit four nearly five minutes in the second half after picking up a third foul with 14:24 remaining before the break.
–Field Level Media
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