Final: Kentucky basketball 104, Africa 92 in GLOBL JAM 2023

After a 93-69 rout of host Canada on Thursday night in GLOBL JAM 2023, the Kentucky Wildcats are back in action Saturday afternoon to face Africa at 1:30 p.m.

BAL Select from Africa lost 88-62 to Canada on Wednesday night, then 88-79 to Germany on Thursday. Kentucky defeated Germany 81-73 in the tournament opener Wednesday.

Kentucky has already clinched a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game at 8 p.m.

CBS Sports Network will televise the UK-Africa game.

Check here for updates. Follow UK basketball beat writer Ben Roberts on Twitter at @BenRobertsHL. Follow me on Twitter at @johnclayiv.

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Final: Kentucky 104, Africa 92

Kentucky-Africa box score

Links

▪ Three takeaways from UK’s win over Africa in Toronto

▪ Kentucky sets tone early to go 3-0 in GLOBL JAM

▪ Final box score from Kentucky-Africa

▪ UK basketball individual game-by-game stats in Toronto

▪ UK basketball’s cumulative stats in Toronto

▪ Antonio Reeves shows how much Kentucky needed him

Kentucky holds off Africa 104-92 in GLOBL JAM 2023

Antonio Reeves scored 27 points as Kentucky held off a late run by Africa, who cut the Cats’ lead to six points with five minutes left, to go 3-0 heading into Sunday night’s gold medal game.

Africa cut Kentucky’s 20-point lead (61-41) to six points at 87-81 with 5:20 left. But the Cats went on a 9-0 run to retake control. Justin Edwards scored after rebounding his own miss. Reed Sheppard made a pair of free throws. Then DeJuan Wagner hit a floater with the shot clock ticking down and Antonio Reeves buried a three for a 96-81 lead with 2:47 left.

Reeves was 9-of-14 from the floor, including 8-of-11 from three-point range. Wagner and Sheppard each finished with 15 points. Sheppard had eight assists and two blocked shots. After scoring nine points in the first quarter, Edwards finished with 15.

UK was 39-of-78 from the floor for 50 percent. The Cats made 15 of 35 three-point shots for 40 percent.

Africa was 31-of-78 for 39 percent from the floor. Africa was 7-of-32 from three-point range for 21 percent.

Kentucky leads Africa 78-65 at end of third quarter

Africa outplayed Kentucky for the first part of the third quarter, cutting UK’s lead to 10 at 65-55 with 4:10 left in the period.

But Kentucky rallied over the final four minutes to carry a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter. Tre Mitchell helped repel the Africa’s charge with a pair of threes. The first put Kentucky up 68-55 with 3:28 left in the period. His second made it 71-57 Cats with 2:20 remaining in the quarter.

The Cats went to a 2-3 zone to try to combat Africa’s height advantage. Kentucky has outrebounded Africa 33-32 through three quarters.

UK is 30-of-59 for 35 percent from the floor. The Cats are 11-of-27 from three for 40 percent.

Africa is shooting 36 percent at 19-of-52 from the floor. Africa is just 4-of-22 from three-point range.

Kentucky leads Africa 59-41 at the half

Antonio Reeves keeps getting buckets. After scoring 47 points in Kentucky’s first two games, the fifth-year guard scored 18 points in the first half as UK took an 18-point lead over African into halftime.

Reeves did not start this, UK’s third game in GLOBL JAM 2023, but came off the bench to hit 6-of-9 shots, including 5-of-8 three-pointers. He scored 15 points in the second quarter for John Calipari’s club.

Reed Sheppard again made his presence known. The freshman guard scored seven points and dished six assists during his 14 minutes on the floor.

Louisville’s Emmanuel Okorafor finished the first half with 12 points and five rebounds for the African team.

UK shot 59.4 percent from the floor in the first half, making 22 of 37 shots. The Cats were 8-of-18 from three point range and 7-of-12 at the foul line.

Africa shot 33.3 percent, making just 11 of 33 shots. It was 2-of-13 from three-point range, but did make 17 of its 21 free throw attempts.

Kentucky leads Africa 28-17 at end of first quarter

Justin Edwards hit the floor running for the Wildcats, scoring 9 of UK’s first 13 points as UK led Africa by 11 points through the first 10 minutes.

Continuing a theme from the first two games, Kentucky forced eight turnovers in the first quarter. Edwards and Aduo Thiero each had two steals in the first quarter.

The taller Africa team enjoyed a 12-7 advantage on the boards, but made just six of 17 shots. The Africans were 1-of-6 from three-point range. Kentucky was 11-of-19 from the floor in the first quarter, including 4-of-8 from three.

Kentucky’s starters vs. Africa

John Calipari going with Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner and Jordan Burks as starters on Saturday. It’s the first start for Burks. And the third game with a different starting lineup for the Cats.

Reeves is UK’s scoring star in Toronto

John Calipari’s Wildcats got 23 points from Antonio Reeves in the win over Canada. The fifth-year guard, who transferred to UK from Illinois State before last season, scored 24 points in the win over Germany.

While in Toronto, Reeves said that playing video games with UK players convinced him to return to Lexington for another season. The 6-foot-6 guard put his name into the NBA Draft. After withdrawing, he said he wanted to consider all his options before making a decision about where he would play in 2023-24.

“We were playing some games like ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Call of Duty,’ things like that,” Reeves said. “That’s when I knew these guys were ready to go, we’re talking for hours and hours on a game. They just needed a vet around, they said that to me. That’s how it happened.”

Kentucky basketball trip gives Calipari an opening to boast. The Cats are big in Canada.

A new Adou for Kentucky basketball? Bulked-up Thiero ready for a bigger role in year two.

Reed Sheppard starred for Kentucky. His family was there to see it. ‘It means everything.’

Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s blowout win over Canada in GLOBL JAM 2023