Overview
- Kentucky ripped off a 14-0 burst and held St. John’s without a field goal for nearly nine minutes to seize control after halftime.
- Jayden Quaintance made his Wildcats debut nine months after knee surgery, contributing 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
- Otega Oweh scored 20 to pace Kentucky, while point guard Jaland Lowe returned from an early shoulder scare and helped trigger the turnaround.
- St. John’s shot 33% and fell to 7-4 with another missed marquee nonconference chance, increasing poll pressure before Harvard and Big East play.
- The neutral-site victory in Atlanta improved Kentucky to 8-4 and came in Rick Pitino’s first game against his former program since 2016 at the CBS Sports Classic.