January 9, 1999
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Sixth-ranked Kentucky finally looked like theWildcats of old in routing Vanderbilt 73-57 Saturday night.
The Wildcats (14-3, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) came in as the SEC’s worst3-point shooters, averaging 29 percent. But Kentucky had its best game thisseason from 3-point range, hitting 58 percent (14-of-24).
Vanderbilt (10-5, 1-2), which hasn’t beaten Kentucky in 11 tries under coachJan van Breda Kolff, tried to match the 3-point barrage. The Commodores shotbetter from beyond the arc (40 percent) than inside (36 percent), but it justwasn’t enough.
Scott Padgett scored 12 points, on four 3s, to lead the Wildcats, and RyanHogan came off the bench and added 10.
Kentucky also held Vandy’s leading scorer Dan Langhi to just five points. Hehad been averaging 16.9 points a game. Michael LeBlanc and Sam Howard each had11 to lead Vandy.
The Wildcats didn’t start smoothly as they turned the ball over on theirfirst possession and missed their first three shots. They didn’t get on theboard until a dunk by Jamaal Magloire with 16:23 to go.
Then Kentucky shook off its sluggish beginning by turning to the 3-pointer.Five of the Wildcats first six buckets came from 3-point range, and they tookthe lead for good with 13:06 left on a 3-pointer by Saul Smith.
They wound up hitting 8-of-14 in the half in building a 31-21 lead. Kentuckypadded its lead in the second half by scoring the first seven points. Vandymanaged to pull within 43-32 on a 3-pointer by Atiba Prater, but that was asclose as the Commodores would get.
Kentucky had topped 50 percent for 3-point shooting only twice this season,against Maryland on Dec. 12 and Florida last week.
