Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.
Jan. 6, 2015
Kentucky is 14-0, 1-0 in the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss is 9-5, 0-1 in league play.
Kentucky leads the series 103-13, including 49-2 in Lexington.
Kentucky begins SEC road action Saturday at Texas A&M. Game time is 1 p.m. EST and it will be televised on CBS.
Team Notes
With 14 consecutive victories to begin the season, UK is off to the sixth-best start in program history, tying the 1921-22 team and 1977-78 squad for that honor.
Kentucky is 64-19 all-time in SEC lidlifters, including 5-1 under Coach John Calipari.
Kentucky is 192-27 all-time when ranked No. 1 and has won 32 of the last 34 games as The Associated Press top-ranked team.
Calipari has led three teams to a No. 1 ranking (Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky) and has a 76-9 record as the top-ranked coach, including 35-4 at UK.
UK shot a season-best 55 percent from 3-point range, making 11 of 20.
UK made 28 of 40 at the foul line, a season high for foul shots made.
UK won the rebounding battle, 34-32, but it took overtime to do it. The Wildcats won rebounding in the extra period 8-2.
UK gained an 18-10 advantage in turnovers, leading to a 23-13 advantage in second-chance points.
UK also won bench points, 23-12.
The game featured 13 ties and eight lead changes, all of which came in the second half/OT except for one lead change in the first half.
First-Half Facts
Kentucky’s opening lineup featured Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Trey Lyles, Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein for the fourth straight game.
Kentucky scored the first 12 points of the game in the opening two and one-half minutes.
The Wildcats eventually scored on their first seven possessions, including four 3-pointers, in jumping out to their largest advantage of the half at 18-5.
Ole Miss responded with 10 straight points and the Rebels eventually built six-point leads at 34-28 and 36-30.
With Stefan Moody’s 16 points leading the way, including 4-of-5 on 3-pointers, Ole Miss took a 38-36 lead into the halftime. It is the third time this season that Kentucky trailed at halftime, also vs. Buffalo and Columbia.
UK made 6-of-11 3-pointers in the first half, the Wildcats’ best opening period of the season in that category. The previous best was 6-of-12 vs. North Carolina.
Second-Half Story
Kentucky started the second half with Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker, Aaron Harrison, Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson.
There were 10 ties and four lead changes in the second half.
The Wildcats started hot again by scoring on their first three possessions, grabbing a 43-38 lead.
The Rebels tied the game twice before retaking the lead at 59-57 with 9:23 to play.
The teams exchanged leads before Aaron Harrison’s 3-pointer with 6:40 left made it 66-63 for UK.
Kentucky stayed ahead until LaDarius White swished a three from the corner to tie it at 75 with 1:36 left.
Jarvis Summers’ two foul shots put Ole Miss up 77-76 with 59 seconds to play.
Andrew Harrison’s foul shot with 25 seconds left tied it at 77.
Jarvis Summers’ jumper missed with three seconds left and the game went to overtime.
Overtime Notes
Kentucky began overtime with Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles and Willie Cauley-Stein.
Having made all 15 of their free throws in regulation, the Rebels’ first miss came when Moody was fouled on a 3-pointer but could not shoot because of leg cramps. M.J. Rhett missed two of three, the Rebels’ first misfires of the game, but still gave Ole Miss an 80-79 lead.
Tied at 83, Ole Miss’ Dwight Coleby made two foul shots with 2:24 on the clock to make it 85-83.
Andrew Harrison’s 3-pointer with 2:07 put the Wildcats back on top 86-85.
Summers tied it again with a foul shot, 1:41 to play.
With 1:29 to go, Aaron Harrison hit two foul shots to make it 88-86.
After Cauley-Stein grabbed defensive and offensive rebounds, Andrew Harrison made a free throw with 32 seconds to go, making it 89-86.
Cauley-Stein snagged the final board with four seconds left and UK held on for an 89-86 win.
Player Notes
Aaron Harrison had 26 points, most by a Wildcat this season and two short of his career high of 28. He made a career-high five 3-pointers.
Willie Cauley-Stein led all rebounders with 12 boards, including three crucial caroms in the final 1:13 of overtime. That tied his season high and is only one short of his career best. He added four blocked shots.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 11 points, his sixth double-figure game of the season.
Trey Lyles had 10 points, his fifth double-figure game of the season and first since EKU on Dec. 7.
Andrew Harrison tallied 12 points, his second-highest point total of the season, and had five assists.
Devin Booker had 13 points and made all three of his 3-point tries. Over the last four games, he is averaging 14 points per contest and has made 12 of 14 3-pointers, 86.7 percent.
Tyler Ulis had a game-high seven assists, one shy of his career high.
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