LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Senior Bobby Perry and freshman Jodie Meeks had 17 points apiece as Kentucky opened its season by cruising to a 94-54 exhibition victory over Lindsey Wilson Thursday night at Rupp Arena.
It was an inside-outside combination that the NAIA Lindsey Wilson just couldn’t handle.
Meeks made his presence felt early in the first half, taking a cross pass from Joe Crawford and swishing a 3-pointer. He’d add two more and miss only one from long-range.
Perry, on the other hand, could barely buy a 3-pointer – hitting only one of four – but he dominated in the paint, connecting on seven of 10 shots from inside the arc.
Many of Perry’s scores came courtesy of Kentucky’s new starting point guard, Ramel Bradley, who had eight assists – including two dazzling ones to Perry.
Late in the first half, he dribbled the ball up the court, paused at the 3-point line and instead drove to the hoop. Rather than take it himself, he kicked it back to Perry, who got a layup.
Bradley’s second-half play was even more impressive. Bradley saved the ball near the sideline at midcourt, cruised toward the net and dished it behind his back to Perry for the easy bucket.
They were the type of plays mastered by Bradley’s predecessor, Rajon Rondo, now a member of the Boston Celtics. Bradley tried a junk food diet in the offseason to become bigger and a more intimidating presence in the lane, and those plays appeared downright Rondoesque.
All five of Kentucky’s freshmen got playing time during the rout, and four had a significant impact.
Perry Stevenson, a 6-foot-9 forward, swatted away one Lindsey Wilson shot during his first defensive opportunity early in the first half and blocked another shot out of bounds a few possessions later.
Guard Michael Porter got into the act at the end of the first half, hitting a 3 at the buzzer to stretch Kentucky’s lead to 47-27 at halftime. Kentucky’s shortest player at 6-2, Porter also grabbed five rebounds.
Derrick Jasper got two dunks in the final minute.
At one point, Tubby Smith’s squad featured five players who weren’t even members of the team when Kentucky opened last season: four freshmen and Morris, who was suspended for the first 14 games after he tried to enter the NBA draft.
Morris was never quite the dominating inside presence that the Wildcats had hoped, but he certainly looked like one against Lindsey Wilson.
He grabbed a steal and cruised untouched for a layup seven minutes in, giving the Wildcats an 11-10 lead. A few seconds later, Morris thundered home a dunk, and Kentucky never looked back.
Morris, who had 14 points, picked up his third foul with 18 minutes left in the game, relegating him to bench duty for much of the second half.
The Wildcats, hoping to improve on last season’s inconsistent shooting, connected on 64 percent of their shots, compared with only 30 percent for the Blue Raiders. Lloyd Lewis led Lindsey Wilson with 14 points but had four fouls, making him a non-factor in the second half.
The only Wildcat who didn’t play was senior forward Sheray Thomas, whom Smith suspended for Kentucky’s first three games – the two exhibitions and the Nov. 15 opener against Miami (Ohio). Thomas watched the game from the bench, dressed in a suit.
The trip to Lexington was a major event for Lindsey Wilson, a school based in Columbia, Ky., with a student enrollment of 1,902. Last year the Blue Raiders finished 24-10 to make their eighth appearance in the NAIA tournament. They won their opener last week 70-68 over Covenant College.
