‘Jacob may have a broken nose.’ Toppin returns wearing mask as Kentucky beats Vanderbilt.
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Game day: No. 5 Kentucky 77, Vanderbilt 71
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Friday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Vanderbilt at the SEC Tournament in Tampa, Fla.
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A possible broken nose didn’t prevent Jacob Toppin from making a major contribution in Kentucky’s opening game in the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday night.
The UK forward was forced to leave the Wildcats’ game against Vanderbilt due to a bloody nose late in the first half.
He returned early in the second half — wearing a protective mask — and provided a spark for the Cats, who defeated Vanderbilt 77-71 to advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals. Toppin finished with 10 points and three blocked shots in 20 minutes of court time.
“It looks like Jacob may have a broken nose. I don’t know,” UK Coach John Calipari said after the game. “But he played with it, and that showed us a lot.”
Kentucky will face Tennessee on Saturday afternoon with the winner advancing to the tournament finals.
Toppin, who has been one of UK’s top players off the bench this season, left the game with 5:04 remaining in the first half. He was tended to on the sideline for a couple of minutes, with blood pouring out of his nose and onto a white towel, before eventually heading back to the Kentucky locker room.
The SEC Network broadcast said Toppin was accidentally hit in the face by teammate Oscar Tshiebwe.
Toppin had four points in seven minutes of play before the injury. He also had a highlight-reel blocked shot against the Commodores early on. He made three baskets in the final 10:21 of a game that was tight throughout, going 5-for-6 from the floor overall and providing several stops on defense and a series of hustle plays after halftime.
“Oh, his energy, his energy, his presence,” UK point guard Sahvir Wheeler said. “He was talking. Even with the face mask, you can barely understand him, but you know he was saying something, and that is big time right there, and for him to have the ball and still kind of make those shots. …
“And defensively, he was the anchor in the second half. Being able to switch and being able to talk out the actions and contest and blocking shots, coming from the weak side and finishing possessions for us on the defensive end as well.”
Freshman guard TyTy Washington, who led the Cats with 25 points Friday night, said Toppin provided “phenomenal” defense and joked that he thought the star reserve actually shot the ball straighter while wearing the mask.
“For him to make those big baskets in those big moments when we needed them, that was pretty good,” Washington said.
Toppin came into the night averaging 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, and he has been UK’s most dependable frontcourt player off the bench this season.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 9:08 PM.
