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MURRAY EVANS
Associated Press Writer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Gerald Fitch scored a career-high 36 points and Kentucky’s starters fueled a late 26-4 run to lead the 10th-ranked Wildcats past Tennessee Tech 108-81 Friday night.

Kentucky (2-0) led the Golden Eagles 78-69 with 8:47 left when coach Tubby Smith called a timeout and put his five starters back in the game. When the starters returned to the bench with 3:28 left, Kentucky led 104-73.

The starters – Fitch, Cliff Hawkins, Erik Daniels, Kelenna Azubuike and Chuck Hayes – combined to score 99 points. Hawkins finished with 17 points and 11 assists while Hayes had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Daniels scored 17 points, while Azubuike had 16.

Kentucky scored more than 100 points in a game only twice last season, when the Wildcats finished 32-4.

Fitch’s previous career high was 25 points, which he had last season against North Carolina and IUPUI. He matched that total in the first half, making 10 of 15 shots. Fitch was the first Kentucky player to score 30 or more points in a game since Tayshaun Prince scored 41 in a NCAA tournament win over Tulsa in 2002.

Fitch scored eight points in a 10-2 first-half run that pushed Kentucky’s lead to 15 points with four minutes left. Kentucky led by 17 points with 11:32 left, but Tennessee Tech (2-1) pulled within nine on consecutive 3-pointers by Willie Jenkins.

Jenkins and Keyon Boyd each scored 18 points to lead Tennessee Tech, which finished third last season in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Golden Eagles are coached by Mike Sutton, who spent nine seasons as an assistant for Smith at Tulsa, Georgia and Kentucky before taking the Tennessee Tech job prior to last season.