Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes
Kentucky at Mississippi State, Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Miss.
Jan. 17, 2017
Attendance: 9,768
Final Score: No. 5/5 Kentucky 88, Mississippi State 81
Team Records and Series Notes
• Kentucky is 16-2 overall, 6-0 in the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State is 12-5 (3-2 SEC)
• This is the third time in Coach John Calipari’s eight seasons at UK that the Wildcats have been spotless through their first six league games.
• Kentucky leads the series 94-20, including 35-12 in Starkville.
o Calipari is undefeated against Mississippi State.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats welcome South Carolina to Rupp Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m. ESPN will air the game.
In the First Half
• Kentucky started the lineup of Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Wenyen Gabriel and Bam Adebayo for the 12th time this season. UK is 10-2 with that lineup.
• Derek Willis made a 3-pointer at the 15:29 mark to extend Kentucky’s streak of 3-pointers to 993 consecutive games.
• Willis (13) and Fox (10) combined to score half the Wildcats’ points in the first half.
• Kentucky committed 12 first-half fouls, the second most it has been called for in a first half this season. UK committed 12 first-half fouls in five games. The season-high was 13 at Vanderbilt last Tuesday.
In the Second Half
• Ahead by 12 points at half, Kentucky scored the first five points of the second half to open a 17-point-lead at the 19:07 mark.
• Kentucky led by as many as 18 at the 12:54 mark
• Mississippi State went on an 8-0 run over 1:04 to cut the UK lead to nine points, 66-57, and forced the Wildcats to take a timeout at the 10:23 mark.
• The hosts scored the first five points after that timeout to get within four, 66-62, before Dominique Hawkins nailed a 3-pointer to end the run at 13-0.
• Mississippi State got within three points at 69-66, before Gabriel made a 3.
• Kentucky stretched the lead to 76-66, forcing a Mississippi State timeout with 6:35 to play.
• Mississippi State never cut the deficit to fewer than three points.
Team Notes
• Kentucky shot 50.8 percent from the field. It is the 13th time this season and sixth game in a row that the Wildcats have hit at least half their shots.
o The last time Kentucky had such a run of consecutive games shooting better than 50 percent was the 1983-84 season.
• That team made more than half its shots eight straight times from Jan. 28 to Feb. 25.
• The 1983-84 Wildcats also shot 50 percent or better nine straight times earlier that season.
• Kentucky’s 16 turnovers were its most since Dec. 7, and second most of the season (17 vs. Valpo).
• Five Wildcats scored in double figures; and it was the ninth straight game that at least one Wildcat tallied 20 or more points.
• Calipari has a 678-189 (.782) on-court record, including a 233-49 (.826) mark at UK.
Player Notes
• Freshman De’Aaron Fox had 21 points, five assists and five rebounds. It was his fifth straight game scoring in double figures.
• He scored nine-straight points for the Wildcats from the 3:41 mark to 0:47 remaining.
• Freshman Wenyen Gabriel scored 13 points, two shy of his career-high
• He made a career-high three 3-pointers, and has made five over his last two games.
• He was a perfect five of five from the field.
• With eight rebounds he led UK in rebounding for the second game in a row.
• Senior Derek Willis poured in 13 first-half points and added five rebounds.
• It’s the sixth game this season he has topped 10 points.
• Freshman Malik Monk had 14 points and four assists
• He continued his streak of double-figure scoring in every game this season.
• He’s dished out four or more assists in back-to-back games.
• Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe had 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Freshman Bam Adebayo had five points in 20 foul-trouble-plagued minutes.
• He broke a streak of reaching double-figure scoring in 14-straight games.
• Senior Dominique Hawkins had five points, including a 3-pointer late in the second half to quell a 13-0 spurt by the home team.
• He’s scored five or more points in consecutive outings for the first time since a five game stretch from Nov. 25- Dec. 11.
