Kentucky Survives 18 Lead Changes
No. 23 Wildcats rallied from a deficit to defeat James Madison 89-80 in a chaotic matchup.
By Justin Brooks ·
The game changed leads 18 times before No. 23 Kentucky secured an 89-80 victory over James Madison on Friday night. Five ties punctuated the first half as both teams traded the advantage repeatedly.
Kentucky broke the stalemate with a 15-3 run that stretched its lead to 69-59 with 10 minutes remaining. Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins each finished with 16 points. Diallo scored 10 in the first half, including six during a 9-0 run.
Former James Madison forward Justin McBride contributed 13 points for the Wildcats. Mason Williams added 12 and Brayden Hawthorne 10. Milan Momcilovic, who averages 24 points per game, managed only seven in the loss.
The Wildcats sank 10 three-pointers, with McBride accounting for three. James Madison shot 15 threes, including nine in the first half that kept the Dukes within reach until the final stretch.
Brandon Lee led the Dukes with 26 points. Garrett Sundra added 15 and Paul Jones III 12. James Madison head coach Preston Spradlin served on Kentucky's staff from 2009 to 2014. He directed operations for the Wildcats during their last three seasons.
Kentucky improved to 2-0 while James Madison fell to 0-2. The Wildcats host Kansas on Tuesday. The Dukes play at Delaware on Wednesday.
