Postgame notes from tonight’s Kentucky Wildcats game against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky, Men’s Basketball
Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.
Dec. 7, 2014
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 82, Eastern Kentucky 49
- Kentucky is 9-0 and Eastern Kentucky is 4-3.
- Kentucky leads the series, 11-0.
- Kentucky is 187-27 all-time when ranked No. 1 and has won 27 of the last 29 games as The Associated Press top-ranked team.
- Coach John Calipari has led three teams to a No. 1 ranking (Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky) and has a 71-9 record as the top-ranked coach, including 30-4 at UK.
- Kentucky returns to action Wednesday at home against Columbia. Game time is 7 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPN2.
- Kentucky’s opening lineup featured Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Alex Poythress, Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein for the seventh time this season.
- Kentucky scored the first five points of the game and never trailed as the Colonels made only one of their first 11 shots.
- UK got the ball inside well as 10 of the Wildcats’ first 11 baskets were layups or dunks.
- Andrew Harrison had five assists in the first 12:10 of the game.
- Kentucky had five runs of at least 5-0 or better in the first half, including a 15-0 spurt to end the period and make the halftime score 41-14.
- It was the eighth half of the season that UK had held its opponent under 20 points.
- Kentucky started the second half with Andrew Harrison, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles, Marcus Lee and Dakari Johnson.
- EKU scored the first seven points of the half, cutting the lead to 41-21, but the Colonels got no closer.
- For the second game in a row, Kentucky extended its streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer in the final three minutes of the game. Andrew Harrison hit the big triple late in the Texas game and tonight it was Aaron who canned one with 2:57 remaining in the contest.
- The Wildcats stretched the lead to as many as 34 points before finishing with an 82-49 victory.
- Eastern Kentucky was limited to 26.1 percent from the field. UK entered the game holding opponents to just 28.2 percent from the field, leading the nation in that category.
- Kentucky has held all nine opponents under 40 percent shooting.
- Kentucky has held six opponents under 30 percent from the field, including the last five in a row.
- EKU’s 49 points is a season low for the Colonels. Eight of UK’s nine opponents (all except Boston) have scored their season-low against the Wildcats.
- Key stat for Kentucky was points in the paint, as UK led that 52-20.
- Kentucky blocked 11 shots, the fifth time in nine games that the Wildcats have reached double figures in rejections.
- Kentucky featured balanced scoring as seven Wildcats had at least six points.
- UK won bench points 34-19 and has won bench points every game this season.
- Kentucky is now 46-0 under Coach Calipari when holding its opponent to 55 or fewer points, including the last five in a row and eight of nine games this season.
- Karl-Anthony Towns had a career-high 19 points, including going 8-of-9 from the field. It is his fourth consecutive game in double figures. He also claimed nine rebounds.
- Trey Lyles tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds, his first Wildcat double-double. It is his fourth game in double-figure scoring and a season high for rebounds.
- Willie Cauley-Stein notched 11 points, his third consecutive double-figure effort.
- Marcus Lee posted a season-best 10 points on 5-of-6 from the field.
- In addition to his streak-extending 3-pointer, Aaron Harrison had a season-best six rebounds.
- After getting five assists early in the game, Andrew Harrison finished with a season high of six.
- Dominique Hawkins tallied a career-high six assists.
First-Half Facts
Second-Half Story
Team Notes
Player Notes