National Basketball Association
Kentucky 91, Eastern Kentucky 49
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, November 8, 2019
Where: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, Lexington, Kentucky
Officials:
# Brian Shay, # Gerald Williams, # Keith Kimbell
Attendance:
20163
By Field Level Media
Fresh off its victory over No. 1 Michigan State in the Champions Classic in New York, No. 2 Kentucky stayed perfect on Friday night with a 91-49 win over visiting Eastern Kentucky in Lexington.
Kentucky (2-0) avoided any letdown on the strength of its defense, which dominated the Spartans three days earlier. UK raced out to a 14-0 lead with 13:42 to go in the first half and never looked back, leading by as many as 44 points. Eastern Kentucky opened the game with five straight turnovers and did not score on its first 15 possessions.
Junior forward Nick Richards paced Kentucky with 21 points and 10 rebounds. He was one of six players in double figures. Immanuel Quickley had 16 points, Nate Sestina added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Keion Brooks, Ashton Hagans and Kahlil Whitney each had 11 points.
Kentucky made 54.8 percent of its shots, despite going 2-of-14 from 3-point range. The Wildcats were 32-of-48 from inside the arc, and they dominated the boards, 54-25.
Eastern Kentucky (1-1) got 14 points from Michael Moreno. Ty Taylor added nine points, while JacQuess Hobbs had seven rebounds.
The Colonels made only 25 percent of their shots, 16-of-64. They had 21 turnovers.
Freshman Whitney scored the first four points while sophomore Hagans added another four points in the 14-0 start. The first-half lead ballooned to 23 points at 46-23 with 1:29 left before intermission.
Kentucky's defense held Eastern Kentucky to 9-of-33 in the first half for 27.3 percent. Offensively, the Wildcats made 51.6 percent and dominated the rebounding 28-12.
The Colonels' game against Kentucky is the first in a historic schedule. For the first time ever, the Colonels are playing all six of the in-state Division I schools in the same season. They face Western Kentucky on Nov. 15; Northern Kentucky, Dec. 8; Louisville, Dec. 14; Morehead State, Feb. 13 and 29, and Murray State on Feb. 27.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Eastern Kentucky |
|
Kentucky |
|
Michael Moreno 14 |
Scoring |
Nick Richards 21 |
|
Jacquess Hobbs 5 |
Assists |
Ashton Hagans 5 |
|
Jacquess Hobbs 7 |
Rebounds |
Nate Sestina 11 |
|
Ty Taylor II 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Immanuel Quickley 7 |
|
Russhard Cruickshank 2 |
Steals |
Ashton Hagans 3 |
|
N/A |
Blocks |
Nick Richards 4 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Eastern Kentucky
|
49 |
25.0 |
8-33 |
9-11 |
7 |
22 |
0 |
10 |
21 |
| Kentucky
|
91 |
54.8 |
2-14 |
21-32 |
17 |
51 |
6 |
8 |
18 |
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