Alex Poythress had 21 points and 13 rebounds, Jamal Murray scored 16 and No. 5 Kentucky pulled away from Eastern Kentucky 88-67 on Wednesday night.
Seeking to rebound from last week's first loss at UCLA, the Wildcats (8-1) succeeded with improved and dominant inside play against the smaller Colonels. Kentucky scored its first 32 points in the paint and 58 overall, outrebounded EKU 50-25 and made timely baskets before pulling away late.
Poythress' third double-double this season led the way and was highlighted by a baseline drive and two-handed dunk for an 80-65 lead with 4:14 remaining. Marcus Lee added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Skal Labissiere and Isaiah Briscoe each added 10 for the Wildcats.
Javontae Hawkins scored 19 points for EKU (7-3), which entered as one of the nation's best 3-point shooting teams (44 percent) but made 5 of 18 from behind the arc (28 percent).
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.