NCAA College Basketball Box Scores

National Basketball Association

BOXSCORE | RECAP

Kentucky 99, Mississippi 76

When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 29, 2016
Where: The Pavilion at Ole Miss, Oxford, Mississippi
Officials: # Jim Lindsay, # Tony Henderson, # Ted Valentine
Attendance: 9086

By The Sports Xchange

OXFORD, Miss. -- Sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe recorded the second triple-double of Kentucky's season as the eighth-ranked Wildcats rolled to a 99-76 victory over Ole Miss in both teams' Southeastern Conference opener Thursday night at The Pavilion.

"We played really today guys," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "The first half, that's as good as we've played in a long while. Then they came back at us in the second half and I was a little bit upset with some of my guys because we got sloppy."

"What I'm trying to do with my team is discipline," Calipari said. "We have to have discipline. You saw in the second half when we didn't and I went crazy because it's not the score, whether it's defense or offense. It's the discipline that we don't have right now. But it was a good road win."

Briscoe finished with 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (11-2, 1-0 SEC). Teammate De'Aaron Fox recorded a triple-double Nov. 28 against Arizona State. The only other triple-double in school history came from Chris Mills in 1988.

Kentucky, winners of 47 SEC regular-season crowns, began its quest for a fourth in a row.

Freshman guard Malik Monk sank 11 of 16 shots from the floor, including 5 of 7 3-point attempts. He was 7 of 8 at the foul line and added six rebounds.

"He's a terrific player. He's got the whole package," Kennedy said. "I saw him a lot. Malik Monk played for the Arkansas Wings and I saw him a bunch. He's always been a fantastic athlete, his ability to make shots and create shots and elevate and get separation, he's got the complete package offensively."

The biggest difference in the game, however, might have been the play of freshman Bam Adebayo. He had a career-best 25 points.

"If you don't have a post presence, your team is a fraud. It is," Calipari said. "Because there is going to be a game when you miss shots and you're going to lose. When you're trying to win six in a row at the end of the year and you don't have a post player, I'm sorry, it's not going to happen."

"It was a huge difference," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. "Bam is a big, strong kid who's got good touch around the basket and we were allowing him to get too good low-post position. And obviously superior players are going to make plays if you allow them to get too close."

Ole Miss (9-4, 0-1) was led by senior forward Sebastian Saiz with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard Deandre Burnett added 19 points and six assists. The Rebels shot 37.5 percent, 27 of 72.

Kentucky won the game in the first half, blowing out to a 60-39 advantage behind 24 points from Monk. He made 9 of 12 field goals, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. As a team, Kentucky shot 62 percent before the break.

"Kentucky is as good a team as I've seen," Kennedy said. "I like their pieces. All their pieces fit. They've got a chance to have another special year."

NOTES: Ole Miss opened SEC play in Oxford for only the fifth time in 19 seasons. ... Kentucky coach John Calipari and Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy rank 18th and 19th, respectively, in career SEC wins. Calipari has 228, Kennedy 221. ... Kentucky is the SEC's all-time wins leader with 957 victories. Only two other schools, Alabama and Tennessee, have more than 700.

Top Game Performances

Kentucky		Mississippi
Malik Monk 34	Scoring	Sebastian Saiz 23
Isaiah Briscoe 11	Assists	Deandre Burnett 6
Isaiah Briscoe 10	Rebounds	Sebastian Saiz 13
Malik Monk 7	Free Throws Made	Sebastian Saiz 6
De'Aaron Fox 3	Steals	Rasheed Brooks 3
Edrice Adebayo 3	Blocks	Justas Furmanavicius 3

Team Stats Summary

Team	Points	FG%	3PM-3PA	FTM-FTA	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals	Turnovers
Kentucky	99	50.0	8-18	17-24	24	40	8	9	8
Mississippi	76	37.5	6-22	16-17	13	40	6	3	15