Jamal Murray – photo by Walter Cornett
Jamal Murray scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half including two of Kentucky‘s five 3-pointers that helped the fifth-ranked Wildcats pull away from Arizona State for a 72-58 victory Saturday.
Leading 32-31 at halftime and looking somewhat lost with senior forward Alex Poythress temporarily sidelined with a hyperextended right knee, the Wildcats (9-1) regrouped to play more crisply and aggressively in the second. Most importantly, Kentucky found its outside shooting touch, hitting 5 of 10 from long range — after a 1-of-11 first half — to break the game open.
Marcus Lee added 14 points and seven rebounds for Kentucky, while guard Tyler Ulis had 12 points, including two from behind the arc.
Tra Holder had 15 points and Kodi Justice added 12 for Arizona State (6-3), which outrebounded Kentucky 22-14 in the first half before the Wildcats flipped that number in the second to finish even on the boards.
