White's 27 points leads UNC-Wilmington to upset over No. 12 Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Trazarien White scored 27 points to lead UNC-Wilmington to an 80-73 victory over No. 12 Kentucky on Saturday.

The Seahawks (6-2) built a 14-point lead in the first half, leading 41-33 at the break. UNC-Wilmington held off a second-half rally by the Wildcats, who were up 55-49 with 12:51 remaining.

Donovan Newby scored 15 points, Shykeim Phillips added 13 and KJ Jenkins had 11 for UNC-Wilmington in the first meeting between the two schools.

UNC-Wilmington coach Takayo Siddle played on a Gardner-Webb team that defeated then-No. 20 Kentucky 84-68 on Nov. 20, 2007. He defeated the Wildcats in his debut as a coach against the Wildcats.

Kentucky, one of he top-scoring teams in the nation, was held 20 points below its scoring average. The Wildcats (6-2) were averaging 94.4 points per game coming into the contest.

Reed Sheppard led Kentucky with 25 points. Kentucky leading scorer Antonio Reeves scored 14 points before he fouled out with 2:56 remaining. Justin Edwards and Tre Mitchell scored 11 points each for the Wildcats.

Kentucky’s 7-foot-1 freshman center Aaron Bradshaw made his debut after missing the first seven games because of an injured foot. Bradshaw scored three points in his first outing with the Wildcats.

Kentucky was without point guard D.J. Wagner, who injured his ankle on Tuesday’s win over the Hurricanes.

Kentucky trailed in the first half and didn't lead until a 3-pointer by Sheppard gave the hosts a 48-46 advantage with 15:38 remaining.

BIG PICTURE

UNC-Wilmington: The Seahawks played their last five games away from home, including two contests in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, but will get an eight-day break. After hosting Montreat on Dec. 10, UNC-Wilmington will play five more on the road, including a game at Arkansas on Dec. 30.

Kentucky: The Wildcats play their next three games on the road, including two at neutral sites. The Wildcats committed 14 turnovers against the Seahawks and made a season-low five 3-pointers.

NEXT UP

Kentucky plays Penn at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday.

UNC-Wilmington hosts Montreat on Dec. 10.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball