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Kentucky Basketball

Boxscore and Game Notes: Kentucky vs Louisville

Kentucky closes the regular-season non-conference schedule with a 10-3 record and its first victory over a ranked opponent.

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Attendance: 24,396, highest of the season and ninth-best in Rupp Arena history

FINAL SCORE: 73, 66

Team Records, Notes

  • Kentucky closes the regular-season non-conference schedule with a 10-3 record and its first victory over a ranked opponent. Louisville is 11-2.
  • Kentucky leads the series 31-15, including 5-1 under Coach .
  • This was Kentucky's first game against a team from the American Athletic Conference.
  • Kentucky is open this week, then begins the Southeastern Conference schedule by playing host to Mississippi State on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 8 p.m. The game will be televised over the air on the channels affiliated with SEC TV.

First-Half Facts

  • Kentucky started Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison,  and .
  • Louisville began the game with an 8-0 run, including a pair of 3-point baskets by Chris Jones.
  • got on the board with a foul shot by Julius Randle at 17:38, followed by a driving dunk and short driving bank shot by Randle. That started a 12-2 Wildcat run, capped by an  three-point play at 14:24, that put Kentucky in the lead.
  • James Young swished UK's first 3-pointer at 10:40, putting the Wildcats up 17-16.
  • Tied at 19, Kentucky went on a 15-6 run, going ahead 34-25 for the largest lead of the half.
  • UK led at halftime, 41-36, including a 12-0 advantage on second-chance points. Randle's 17 points led all scorers.

Second-Half Story

  • After a Kentucky basket to open the second half, Louisville went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 43.
  • Tied at 45, Kentucky got a 6-1 run to go up 51-46. Louisville responded with a 6-0 spurt to re-take the lead at 52-51.
  • Tied at 53, UK had a 13-3 spurt to go up 66-56 – largest lead of the game — forcing a pair of Cardinal timeouts.
  • UK led by at least five points the rest of the way en route to the 73-66 win.

Team Notes

  • Kentucky has won 17 consecutive home games and is 76-2 in Rupp Arena under Coach Calipari.
  • Kentucky had a decisive edge around the basket today.
    • UK led the rebounding 44-36 and won second-chance points 17-6.
    • UK won points in the paint 42-24.
  • UK limited Louisville to 39.7 percent from the field. The Wildcats are 8-0 this season when keeping the opponent under 40 percent.

Individual Notes

  • James Young had his first Wildcat double-double with 18 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
    • He was selected for the game's Most Valuable Player Award by the Bluegrass Sports Commission.
  • Andrew Harrison notched a career-high 18 points, adding four rebounds and two assists.
  • Julius Randle had 17 points and three rebounds, all coming in the first half.
    • He has scored in double figures in all 13 games this season.
    • Persistent leg cramping limited him to just four minutes in the second half.
  •  had 10 points, his eighth-straight game scoring in double figures.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein had two points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.
    • It was his fifth double-figure rebounding game of the season, 10th of his career.
  •  came off the bench to tally seven points and five rebounds. UK had a +20 scoring margin when he was in the game.

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