Bellarmine wasn’t intimidated in its first meeting with the Wildcats and controlled the tempo until Kentucky wore down the Knights in the final 14 minutes. Trailing 32-28 with 15 minutes left, Kentucky used a 23-3 run to pull away. Fredrick and Toppin combined for 16 points during the decisive spurt. Curt Hopf led Bellarmine with 15 points and Bash Wieland scored 10.
Kentucky returns to action on Sunday, facing Michigan in London, England. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game can be seen on ABC.