(Photo: @claysphotos)
Well, in what was their final test before facing off against in-state rival Louisville, Kentucky defeated Belmont 93-80. The first half wasn't pretty, but the second half was a little bit impressive from a defensive standpoint. After allowing Belmont to hit what seemed like a hundred threes, the Cats tightened up the defense in the second half and turned in one of their better performances of the season so far.
The story of the game, besides Julius Randles' 30 points has got to be the play of Jarrod Polson and Dominique Hawkins. With Andrew Harrison hampered with foul trouble pretty much the entire game, Polson stepped in to run the point and did a fantastic job to say the least. When Jarrod was on the floor, the offense looked and ran smoother than it has all season long. This kid needs and deserves more minutes at the point going forward as he can provide leadership something Andrew is still trying to figure out.
Dominique Hawkins… What can you say about him that his play doesn't say for itself? Hawkins is instant energy off the bench and hustles more than most on the team. If there is a lose ball you can bet that at the bottom of the pile will be Dominique fighting for it, something this team DESPERATELY needs more of. As with Polson, Hawkins needs more playing time as the season goes on and something tells me he earned it today.
This was really a game of two halves, the first half being one Kentucky fans will choose to forget and the second being the exact opposite. Call me crazy, but this is just the kind of game this team needed before their match-up with the Cards next Saturday…
box-socre and post game quotes to follow…..
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