LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Andrew Carr scored all of his 14 points in the first half, Otega Oweh added 13 and No. 10 Kentucky handled Brown 88-54 Tuesday.

Oweh had 11 points after halftime, including seven in the first five minutes of the second half to put the Wildcats (11-2) up 52-32 with 15:38 remaining. Amari Williams and Koby Brea each added 13 points.

Kino Lilly Jr. scored 16 points to lead Brown (7-5), but the Bears’ leading scorer never was able to control the game. He hit two 3-pointers but entered the game averaging four 3s per game to rank third in the nation.

Takeaways

Brown: The Bears committed 23 turnovers that led to 33 Kentucky points. They also shot just 2 of 12 on 3-pointers in the first half.

Andrew Carr scores 14, Otega Oweh adds 13 as No. 10 Kentucky handles Brown 88-54 | iNFOnews.ca — Kentucky’s Lamont Butler (1) has his shot pressured by Brown’s Landon Lewis (22) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/James Crisp)

Kentucky: The Wildcats needed the win after a disappointing 85-65 loss to Ohio State on Dec. 21 and a challenging Southeastern Conference schedule ahead of them. Kentucky showed the effects of a 10-day layoff early on, only leading 4-2 at the first media timeout and being outrebounded by 10 in the first half.

Key moment

After the slow start and Brown leading 6-4, Carr sparked a 15-3 Wildcat run with seven straight points for a 15-7 lead. Kentucky led 37-21 with 2:30 to go before halftime and 33-15 overall.

Key stat

Both teams shot exactly the same in the first half, 11 of 26 (42.3%). Kentucky had three more 3-pointers and 10 more free throws than the Bears, which made the difference.