November 23, 1998
CINCINNATI (AP) – With three players back from suspensions, No. 4 Kentucky used its well-stocked bench and Heshimu Evans’ accuracy to overcome a sloppy start and beat Wright State 97-75 Monday night.
Jamaal Magloire, Ryan Hogan and Myron Anthony returned from four-game suspensions and Kentucky (3-0) used its depth to wear down the winless Raidersin the second half.
Evans hit 7-of-8 from the field and scored 18 points, four of them in 21-6run that opened the second half and put Kentucky in control. Six Wildcatsscored in the spurt.
Wright State (0-4) got 27 points from Keion Brooks and stayed close most ofthe game even though its front line was depleted by fouls. Bruno Petersons andInus Norville each picked up their fourth foul during Kentucky’s opening spurtin the second half.
Magloire blocked six shots and scored four points while Hogan added five offthe bench. Anthony got into the game in the closing minutes and hit a basket.
Coach Tubby Smith suspended the three for separate incidents in theoffseason: Magloire was in a car with two men arrested on drug possessioncharges; Hogan pleaded guilty to drunken driving; Anthony admitted to beingbehind the wheel of teammate Wayne Turner’s car during a 1997 hit-and-runaccident.
Even though their roster was back to full-strength, the Wildcats opened thegame with their worst half of the season. They turned the ball over 14 times -their average for each of the first two games – and never led by more than 10.
The pro-Kentucky crowd of 16,845 grumbled when Wright State took advantageof the Wildcats’ sloppiness and pulled ahead 17-14 midway through the half onconsecutive dunks by Kevin Melson and Brooks.
Evans got the Wildcats going with a layup, a tip-in and a 3-pointer in an18-5 run that put Kentucky ahead to stay 32-22. Wright State turned a pair ofturnovers into fastbreak layups and trailed 40-32 at halftime. After the six-player spurt to open the second half, Kentucky led by at least16 points the rest of the way and finished with four players in double figures.
It was Kentucky’s fourth victory in the ’90s at the arena, where theWildcats like to play to cultivate their fan base. Kentucky announced beforethe game that it will play at the arena in each of the next 10 years.
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
