Feb 11, 2003
Box Score?|?Quotes?|?Notes?|?Photo Gallery | Photo Gallery II
By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Wildcats aren’t just dominating the Southeastern Conference, they’re making it look easy.
Marquis Estill had 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots as the third-ranked Wildcats won their 13th straight game, beating No. 20 Georgia 87-67 on Tuesday night at Rupp Arena.
Gerald Fitch scored 14 points and Erik Daniels and Keith Bogans had 12 points each for the Wildcats (19-3, 9-0), who have matched their longest winning streak in coach Tubby Smith’s six seasons.
The Wildcats have averaged a 17-point margin of victory during their run.
“I don’t know what the secret is, but I’m loving it. I hope we can take this a long way,” Kentucky forward Chuck Hayes, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Kentucky improved to 8-1 against ranked opponents, once again using suffocating defense to humble a league rival.
“Good things don’t always last long,” Bogans said. “We just want this to last forever.”
The Wildcats held Georgia, the SEC’s highest-scoring team, to 43 percent shooting (28-of-65). The Bulldogs are the SEC’s best 3-point shooting team, but went 2-of-14 (14 percent) from 3-point range against Kentucky, the league’s top 3-point shooting defense.
The effort came one week after Kentucky held then-No. 1 Florida to 34 percent shooting in a 70-55 victory in Lexington.
“You can play defense when you can’t do anything else,” Smith said. “Great teams play great defense. It’s about heart and desire.”
Defense wasn’t the only thing the Wildcats did well against the Bulldogs.
Kentucky outrebounded Georgia 45-31 and had 20 assists, the third time in four games the Wildcats have reached the number. Six Wildcats reached double figures in scoring.
“The main thing is everybody’s on the same page. Nobody’s doing more than they’re capable of doing,” Bogans said. “Everybody’s just doing their job.”
The winning streak is Kentucky’s longest since the 1997-98 season, when the Wildcats won their final 13 games on their way to the program’s seventh NCAA championship.
The Wildcats are off to their best start in league play since 1995-96, when they went an unprecedented 16-0 on their way to the NCAA title.
“It’s a credit to Tubby. He’s got them playing like a championship team,” said Georgia coach Jim Harrick. “It’s nice when your team is playing that way. It’s a magic moment for them.”
Damien Wilkins had 21 to lead the Bulldogs (13-7, 5-4), who were averaging 81 points per game. Georgia has lost three of its last four and four of its last five road games.
The Bulldogs missed eight of their nine 3-point attempts in the first half and trailed 42-30 at halftime.
Jarvis Hayes kept Georgia in the game in the first half, scoring 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting. The rest of the Bulldogs went 7-for-19.
The Wildcats have averaged a 24-point halftime lead in their last three games, but struggled to pull away against Georgia’s 2-3 zone defense.
Daniels finally got Kentucky going with a short jumper that started a 14-5 run 6:48 before halftime. Chuck Hayes’ tip-in four minutes later gave the Wildcats a 38-23 lead, their biggest of the half.
Kentucky’s defense, allowing a league-best 58 points in SEC play, keyed the decisive 11-0 run in the opening minutes of the second half.
The Bulldogs missed their first nine second-half shots, all under pressure. The Wildcats started the second half with consecutive backdoor layups and a 3-pointer by Fitch. Chuck Hayes added four free throws to put Kentucky up 53-30 by the 16-minute mark.
“We’ve been having a little letdown in the second half,” said Chuck Hayes. “We just jumped on them and didn’t let them breathe. Everything was working.”
Steve Thomas ended Georgia’s drought with a putback, but Fitch scored in the lane 20 seconds later, re-igniting the capacity crowd.
Ezra Williams, the SEC’s fourth-leading scorer, sank a 3-pointer – his first points of the game – with 13:41 remaining. He finished with five points on 2-of-9 shooting.
The Bulldogs got within 19 twice, but the Wildcats built the lead to 29 with a 12-2 run that started near the midpoint of the second half.
“When everyone is contributing, it’s so much fun,” Chuck Hayes said.
Jarvis Hayes went 2-of-8 and scored only four points after halftime.
The Wildcats beat Georgia for the 100th time in 119 meetings. They improved to 51-3 against the Bulldogs in Lexington.
