Dillingham scores 23, No. 15 Kentucky pulls away from Vanderbilt 93-77 for 4th consecutive win

Rob Dillingham scored 23 points, including consecutive 3-pointers just before halftime, Antonio Reeves added 20 in his home finale and No. 15 Kentucky rode 56% second-half shooting to pull away from Vanderbilt 93-77 on Wednesday night for its fourth victory in a row.

The Wildcats (22-8, 12-6 Southeastern Conference) went back and forth with the Commodores (8-22, 3-14) for much of the first half before taking the lead for good just before the break as Reed Sheppard made the first of Kentucky’s four straight 3s. Dillingham followed with a pair before Reeves capped the run with another from deep with three seconds remaining for a 45-40 edge.

Dillingham added seven consecutive points midway through the second half to help put Kentucky up 68-55. Another run built a 19-point cushion with 4:04 left and the Wildcats went on to complete a season sweep of the Commodores.

“Knowing that he’s like a little microwave out there, it’s really just fun to see,” Reeves said of Dillingham. “When he gets the ball, just get out of the way because you know he’s going to make a play.”

Tyrin Lawrence had 23 points for the Commodores, who have dropped five of six.

Dillingham shot 5 of 6 with a 3-pointer after halftime to finish 3 of 4 from long range and 9 for 15 overall. Kentucky was outshot 53% to 46% in the first half before improving to make 20 of 36 from the field and finish at 51% while Vanderbilt converted just 38%.

Reeves shot 8 of 17 in his sixth consecutive 20-point game and 17th this season. He also grabbed six rebounds. Sheppard had eight points and tied a career high with 11 of Kentucky’s 27 assists.

D.J. Wagner added 11 points and Justin Edwards had 10 for Kentucky, which made 11 of 27 3-pointers and outrebounded Vandy 44-32.

Ezra Manjon had 17 points, Ven-Allen Lubin 13 and Paul Lewis 10 for the Commodores, who finished 5 of 23 from long range.

Kentucky regulars Reeves and Trey Mitchell and reserve guard Kareem Watkins were honored before the game on Senior Night. Also recognized was Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden, who rappelled down from the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge last Friday to rescue a driver trapped in the cab of her wrecked tractor-trailer as it dangled precariously over the Ohio River. Carden sat behind the Wildcats bench.

BIG PICTURE

Vanderbilt: The Commodores actually started faster than Kentucky and helped their cause by shooting 53% before halftime. They struggled to keep pace on the boards and contain the Wildcats’ perimeter game, which allowed Kentucky to take momentum into the break. Their consolation was outscoring Kentucky 48-40 in the paint.

“Maybe the guys thought that they were a little bit too far out, 4 or 5 feet behind the line,” coach Jerry Stackhouse said. “But for those guys it isn’t too far out and they made us pay for it. … We had an opportunity to really have some momentum going into the half, but we went down five just because of their ability to step up and make big shots.”

Kentucky: A double bye in the SEC Tournament and maybe even a second-place finish in the league standings is in play for the Wildcats following a victory that took a while to put together. They overcame a slow start shooting by stringing together baskets before the break. They also owned the boards for the second consecutive game and by the third-largest margin this season; they were plus-22 against Vandy the first time around.