Jamal Murray scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half, reserve Derek Willis got Kentucky going with a career-high 14 in the first and No. 2 Kentucky outlasted Albany 78-65 Friday night in the season opener for both schools.
Murray overcame an uneven first half to shoot 6 of 9 from the field after halftime and 8 of 15 overall, including several thunderous dunks that energized the crowd. He also had eight of Kentucky's 16 assists in his debut to help the Wildcats (1-0) stay safely ahead of the scrappy Great Danes (0-1).
Willis got Kentucky going with several career bests including scoring along with five rebounds. Marcus Lee and Tyler Ulis each had 12 points for Kentucky, which won the first of back-to-back games.
Peter Hooley had 18 points and Evan Singletary 17 for Albany, which got within 71-59 with 3:36 remaining.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.