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Boxscore and Game Notes: Kentucky vs. Belmont

Kentucky tied the game at 44, 46 and 48 before taking its first lead of the game, 50-48, at the 16:20 mark on a driving layup by Aaron Harrison

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  • is 9-3 and is 8-5.
  • This was the first meeting between and Belmont. Coach  is 2-0 vs. the Bruins.
  • Kentucky is 36-0 against teams currently comprising the Ohio Valley Conference.
  • After the Christmas break, Kentucky will play host to Louisville on Saturday, Dec. 28.  Game time is 4 p.m. and will be televised on CBS.

First-Half Facts

  • Kentucky started Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison,  and .
  • Belmont grabbed the first lead on a three-pointer by Drew Windler on the Bruins' first possession.  Belmont never trailed in the first half.
  • Tied at 12, Belmont went on a 13-2 spurt to go ahead 25-14, its largest lead of the game.
  • After the Wildcats missed their first seven 3-point attempts,  sank one at the 8:14 mark.
  • Trailing 41-32, UK tied the game with a 9-0 run.
  • Windler, who tallied 14 points in the opening stanza, put the Bruins ahead 43-41 at halftime with a pair of foul shots with 1.6 seconds remaining.
  • UK is now 2-2 this season when trailing at intermission.

Second-Half Story

  • Kentucky tied the game at 44, 46 and 48 before taking its first lead of the game, 50-48, at the 16:20 mark on a driving layup by . He followed with a rim-rattling jumper to make it 52-48.
  • Kentucky gradually edged away, leading by as much as 14 points at 92-78.

Team Notes

  • Kentucky has won 16 consecutive home games and is 75-2 in Rupp Arena under Coach John Calipari.
  • Kentucky shot 55.2 percent from the field, the fifth time this season the Wildcats have gone over 50 percent.
  • Entering the game with a rebound margin of +12.4 per game, UK had a +17 margin today at 42-25.
    • UK's inside advantage led to a 52-34 edge in points in the paint.

Individual Notes

  • Julius Randle piled up a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds.
    • His ninth double-double of the season.
    • His fifth 20-point game of the season.
    • He has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season.
  • Aaron Harrison collected 23 points, six rebounds and a career-high seven assists.
    • It is his fourth 20-point game of season, including back-to-back with the North Carolina game.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein had a season-high 16 points and added seven rebounds.
  • With Andrew Harrison dealing with foul trouble,  came off the bench for a career-high 22 minutes of action. He scored two points and had career highs with three assists and four rebounds.
  • Jarrod Polson also came off the bench for a season-high 21 minutes of action, tallying a three-point shot and an assist.

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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