Final Score: No. 10/9 Kentucky 78, UNCG 61
Team Records and Series Notes
Kentucky is 7-1 on the season, winning its seventh in a row, all by double digits.
UNCG is 7-2, with both losses coming on the road against Southeastern Conference opponents (the Spartans lost a close one at LSU).
This was the first game between the schools in men’s basketball.
Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats have a stretch of five straight Saturday games, beginning Dec. 8 vs. Seton Hall in the Citi Hoops Classic, played in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Game time is noon and it will be televised on Fox.
In the First Half
Kentucky started Immanuel Quickley, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, Reid Travis and PJ Washington for the fourth time this season. This lineup is now 4-0.
Francis Alonso scored UNCG’s first 11 points – including a trio of 3-pointers – as the Spartans built an 11-7 lead.
Trailing 17-13, UK assembled a 10-0 run to give the Wildcats their first lead of the day.
Trailing 35-29, UNCG finished the half on an 11-2 run and the Spartans went to intermission ahead 40-37.
Alonso led all scorers with 19 points – already equaling his season average – while Travis had 10 points for the Wildcats.
Entering today’s game, UK had lost its last six games when trailing at halftime, dating back to last year’s game at Missouri.
In the Second Half
Kentucky opened the second stanza with Ashton Hagans, Herro, Johnson, Travis and Washington.
Early in the half, UNCG stretched the lead to five at 47-42 and 53-48.
UK crept back in the game, retaking the lead 56-55 on a driving layup and one by Hagans.
At 8:30, UK regained the lead for good at 58-57 on a driving dunk by Travis. Johnson followed with six straight points, including a pair of driving baseline thunderdunks, to cap an 8-0 run and make it 64-57.
All totaled, over the last 13 minutes, UK closed the game with a 28-6 run.
Team Notes
Averaging 87.6 points per game entering the game, UNCG was limited to a season-low 61 today.
UNCG scored only six points in the final 13 minutes of the game.
Under Coach John Calipari, UK is 157-7 (.957) when limiting the opponent to 63 or fewer points.
Kentucky won the rebounding 46-30, the seventh straight game winning the glass.
UK has a plus-16.8 rebound margin for the season and leads the nation in that stat.
The Wildcats blocked four shots today. UK has rejected at least four opponent shots in every game this season.
UK shot 70.8 percent at the free-throw line today (17 of 24) and has made at least 70 percent in all but one game this season.
Two Wildcats, Reid Travis and Keldon Johnson, notched double-doubles today. The last time two Cats doubled was Nov. 23, 2016, when De’Aaron Fox and Wenyen Gabriel did so vs. Cleveland State.
The win marked the 50th consecutive home victory over an unranked AP poll nonconference opponent.
UK is now 230-38 under John Calipari against unranked competition.
Kentucky is now 10-5 as a No. 10-ranked team under Calipari.
UK improved to 240-5 (.980) under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any point in the game.
Kentucky has won 10 in a row at Rupp Arena, dating back to last season.
UK closed a seven-game homestand.
Player Notes
Reid Travis had his first double-double of the season with 22 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. It is the 27th of his career, counting his years at Stanford.
22 points matched his season high and this was his first double-figure rebounding game as a Wildcat.
Tyler Herro hit for 18 points, matching his season high.
Made his first 13 free throws of the season before a miss in the second half.
Despite incurring an apparent sprained ankle in the first half, Keldon Johnson returned in the second half and picked up his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
He also had a double-double earlier this season vs. North Dakota.
Ashton Hagans had five points and game highs with three assists and three steals. He played superlative defense on UNCG’s Francis Alonso in the second half, helping limit the Spartan star to one lone basket in the second frame.
Calipari
Calipari is now 282-65 at UK.
Calipari has a 727-205 all-time on-court record.
He is now 15 wins away from tying Joe B. Hall for the most victories by a UK head coach
