UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY vs. VANDERBILT
RUPP ARENA | LEXINGTON, KY.
JAN. 12, 2019
ATTENDANCE: 22,504
 
Final Score: No. 18 Kentucky 56, Vanderbilt 47
                                                       
Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 12-3 overall, 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt is 9-6, 0-3 in the SEC.
• Kentucky leads the series 146-47, including 82-14 in games played in Lexington.
• Tonight’s attendance of 22,504 is a back-to-back season high.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats begin a two-game road swing Tuesday at Georgia. Game time is 7 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPN.

 
In the First Half

• Kentucky started Ashton Hagans, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, PJ Washington and Reid Travis for the eighth time this season. UK is now 5-3 with that lineup.
• VU came out hot, hitting 3-pointers on its first three possessions, en route to a 16-4 lead.
  • It was the second straight game of an early double-digit deficit, as Texas A&M opened with a 10-0 lead on Tuesday.
• Trailing 22-12 at the 11:26 mark, UK gradually chipped away, tying at 28 with 1:55 to go on a short jumper by Herro.
• Vanderbilt responded with a basket and led 30-28 going into halftime. 

 
In the Second Half

• Kentucky opened the second stanza with the original starting lineup.
• Johnson tied the game at 30 with a pair of foul shots, followed by his 3-pointer from the corner at 18:48 to give the Wildcats their first lead of the game. A well-contested driving layup by Hagans completed the 7-0 run to make it 35-30.  UK led the rest of the way.
• Leading 45-42 with 8:35 remaining in the game, UK held Vanderbilt without a basket for more than five minutes. The Wildcats stretched the lead to 11 at 54-43 and led comfortably the rest of the way.
• UK limited Vanderbilt to 17 second-half points. That’s the lowest point total by a UK opponent since the Wildcats held Tennessee to 17 second-half points on Feb. 17, 2015.

 
Team Notes

• After Vanderbilt’s hot start – 22 points in the first 8:34 of the game – Kentucky limited the visitors to 25 points in the last 31:26 of the game. 
  • During the last 31 minutes, VU made only 9 of 36 shots from the field.
• Vanderbilt totaled 47 points. UK is 66-0 under Coach John Calipari when keeping the opponent at 55 points or less, including 2-0 this season.
• Vanderbilt shot only 36.2 percent from the field. UK is 169-15 (.918) under Calipari when keeping the opponent at 40 percent or less, including 5-0 this season.
• UK shot 50 percent from the field tonight. It is UK’s seventh game of the season at 50 percent or better, all wins.
• UK dominated around the basket tonight, winning rebounding 38-21 and points in the paint 32-16.
• Statistical oddity: although UK committed 15 turnovers and VU had only 12, it was the Wildcats who took advantage of the miscues and won points off turnovers by a 16-4 margin.
• UK improved to 245-5 (.980) under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any point in the game.
• UK has won 13 in a row at Rupp Arena, dating back to last season.

Player Notes  

• Ashton Hagans continued his offensive surge, tying for game-high honors with 15 points. He made seven of nine shots from the field.

  • This is his fourth straight double-figure game, and he is averaging 14 points per game during that span.
  • Hagans also had game-highs with four assists and three steals. He has at least three thefts in five straight games. No Wildcat has done that through at least 1996-97.
• Keldon Johnson equaled Hagans with a game-best 15 points, making 6 of 8 shots from the field.
  • Johnson scored the first five points of the second half, putting UK ahead for good.
• Immanuel Quickley notched 12 points, his second straight game in double figures and fifth of the season.
  • He made a season-best three 3-point shots and has made two or more 3-pointers in three straight games.
• Reid Travis tied season highs with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots, adding five points. 

 
Calipari

• Calipari is now 287-67 at UK.
• Calipari has a 732-207 all-time on-court record.
• He is now 10 wins away from tying Joe B. Hall for the second-most victories by a UK head coach in program history.