Nov 16, 2001
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By STEVE BAILEY
AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky guard Keith Bogans wasn’t about to let his teammates sulk following a disappointing season-opening loss to Western Kentucky.
“We had to bounce back,” said Bogans, who had 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists Friday night as the fourth-ranked Wildcats (1-1) beat Marshall 90-73 in the consolation game of the NABC Classic. “We didn’t have any time to do anything between last night and tonight. Tonight, we came to play. Last night, we didn’t.”
Erik Daniels added 10 points and Tayshaun Prince nine as Kentucky played with much more energy and emotion than it did Thursday.
The Wildcats, who had only six assists and turned the ball over 20 times in their loss to the Hilltoppers, had 20 assists and only nine turnovers against the Thundering Herd (0-2). They also scored 31 points off 23 Marshall turnovers.
“I thought we rebounded the right way,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. “We came out and played well right from the start.
“We wanted to emphasize team and individual pride and not wallow in self-pity. We’re still a long way from where we need to be, but it was a lot better than (Thursday) night’s debacle.”
Tamar Slay scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, J.R. VanHoose added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Latece Williams had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Marshall.
“Coming in, you know you’re up against a tough and talented club that is very athletic,” Marshall coach Greg White said. “They have the total package.”
Kentucky led by 16 at halftime and never let Marshall back within 12 in the second half. The lead grew to as many as 23 late in the game, but Marshall outscored the Wildcats 10-3 over the final three minutes to narrow the gap.
“We just ran out of gas,” White said. “We fought hard for 40 minutes, and that’s all I ask from my players. We’ll just have to take this experience and build on it.”
Kentucky shot 40 percent from the field and hit 32 percent of its 3-point shots – 9-of-28 – after making only 7 percent from behind the arc the previous night.
Marshall shot 39 percent from the field, making only 4-of-16 3-pointers.
“I thought we played tough tonight,” said Daniels, who added five rebounds and three assists. “We came out, played aggressively on defense early and set a tone for the game.”
The Wildcats raced out to a 22-16 lead midway through the first half. But the Thundering Herd fought back, tying the game at 26 on VanHoose’s two free throws with 6:23 to play.
From that point, Estill had eight points as the Wildcats closed out the half with an 18-2 run to take a 46-30 halftime lead.
“We just wanted to put last night’s game behind us and play hard,” Estill said. “Tonight, we played well at both ends of the floor and that was the key to winning the game.”
