UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY AT LSU
PETE MARAVICH ASSEMBLY CENTER | BATON ROUGE, LA.
JAN. 3, 2018
ATTENDANCE: 11,952
 
Final Score: #17/14 Kentucky 74, LSU 71
                                                             
Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 12-2 and has won three in a row. LSU is 9-4. UK is 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference. This was LSU’s league opener.
• Kentucky leads the series 89-26 and has won three in a row vs. LSU.
  • UK leads the series 31-18 in Baton Rouge.
• Kentucky’s next game will be another SEC road trip, this time to Tennessee for a 9 p.m. ET matchup on Saturday. SEC Network will televise the game.

 
In the First Half

• Kentucky’s starting lineup featured Quade Green, Hamidou Diallo, PJ Washington, Kevin Knox and Nick Richards for the 12th time this season. UK is 9-2 with this lineup.
• Kentucky race out to a 7-0 lead
  • Knox connected on a 3-pointer with 17:47 remaining, giving Kentucky 1,027 consecutive games with a 3-pointer
• LSU used a 7-0 run over 1:10 to take its first lead 20-18 at the 8:35 mark
• LSU outscored UK 13-6 over the last 6:10 of the first half
• Knox grabbed eight rebounds, tying Wenyen Gabriel’s output from the last game (vs. Georgia) for the best rebounding first half of any Wildcat this season
  • Knox scored 10 first-half points
    • It was the fourth time he’s scored 10 or more in the first half, but the first time he’s done so since Dec. 2 vs. Harvard
• UK did not attempt a free throw in the first half
  • That was the first time UK failed to shoot a free throw in a half since an 88-79 win at Florida on March 1, 2016. Remarkably, Kentucky shot 32 free throws in the second half of that game
  • UK had shot a combined 33 free throws (16 per half) in each of its previous two first halves
• UK improved to 4-2 this season when trailing at halftime.

 
In the Second Half

• Kentucky used a 7-0 run over 1:30 to regain the lead, 43-42 at the 15:11 mark
  • Stretched over 1:48 it was a 9-0 run, which finished with UK leading 45-42
• Washington had three dunks over 2:44 of play finishing at the 11:16 mark helping UK take a 56-52 lead into the under-12 media timeout
• UK made seven straight field goals between the 15:53 and 11:16 marks
• LSU used a 9-2 run over 2:57 to take a 65-64 lead at the 3:22 mark, which was the under-4 media timeout
• Washington and Gilgeous-Alexander combined to score 15 of UK’s last 18 points over the final 11:15 of the game
• After LSU went 5 of 11 from 3-point range in the first half, UK limited the Tigers to 1 of 13 from 3 in the second half

 
Team Notes

• UK outrebounded LSU 35-34. The Wildcats have tied or outrebounded the opponent in 12 of 14 games this season.
  • UK’s 35 rebounds were its second fewest in a game this year (33 vs. Virginia Tech)
• UK attempted a season-low 13 free throws
  • UK’s seven made free throws were its second fewest in a game this season
• LSU’s 71 points were the fifth most by a UK opponent this season
• LSU made 29 field goals. Only Virginia Tech (32) has made more vs. UK this year

 
Player Notes  

• Kevin Knox notched his team-leading second double-double of the season

  • He scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds
    • The 11 rebounds were a career high
    • He has scored in double figures in all but three games this year, but had not reached 10 points in the previous two games
• PJ Washington finished with 18 points, two off his career high
  • He had two key traditional 3-point plays down the stretch, although he missed the free throw on the second one
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played the super-sub role again, coming off the bench to tie Washington for the team high in points with 18
  • He finished two points shy of a third-consecutive performance of 20 or more points
  • He finished with four assists, and has assisted at least four in three straight games
• Wenyen Gabriel tied his career-high with three steals
  • He also pulled down four rebounds, including grabbing a Washington missed free throw late in the game

 
Coach John Calipari

• Calipari has a 706-195 all-time on-court record.
• Calipari is now 261-55 at Kentucky.
• Calipari is 11-2 vs. LSU  in his career.