Nov. 30, 2009

Recap | Box Score | Quotes | AP Photo Gallery  | Photo Gallery 

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky improves to 7-0 and UNC Asheville drops to 0-6.
• With a 7-0 start, UK is off to the best start since the 2004 season.
• UK owns a 3-0 all-time record against UNC Asheville, posting wins in 1997, 2000 and 2009. Monday’s game was the first contest not played in Lexington between the two schools.
• The Wildcats own a 14-3 all-time mark against teams from the Big South Conference.
• Kentucky has a 121-32 overall record in Louisville and a 58-17 mark in Freedom Hall. UK has played in Louisville each year since Freedom Hall opened in 1958.
• UK will return to action Saturday, welcoming defending NCAA Champion North Carolina to Rupp Arena. Tipoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. ET and the game will be televised live on CBS.

First-Half Notes

• Kentucky used the starting lineup of John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Darius Miller, Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins for the sixth consecutive game. With this lineup, UK owns a 6-0 record.
• UK and Cousins won the tip for the sixth time in seven games.
• With Miller’s three from the wing to open scoring, UK extended its streak of 718 consecutive games with a three-pointer made, the third-longest streak in the nation.
• From nearly the exact same position as his first, Miller nailed his second three-pointer in as many attempts to put UK up 6-0 with just over a minute played in the first half.
• Patterson’s jumper at the top of the paint extended UK’s lead to 8-0.
• Freshman forward Daniel Orton checked in for Cousins with 16:33 left to play in the first half, marking the club-best fourth game he has been the first UK sub off the bench.
• On his first possession, Orton drew a foul in the paint and hit the first free throw of the game, missing on the second free-throw attempt.
• Wall’s rebound and put back with 12:40 left in the half put UK up double digits for the first time in the game, taking a 19-9 lead.
• Ramon Harris’ free throw with 11:18 left in the half put UK up 20-9.
• Darnell Dodson’s three pointer from the corner put UK up 27-13 with 8:15 remaining in the first period.
• Patterson’s rebound and dunk put the Wildcats up 37-20 with 3:25 left in the period, forcing a Bulldogs timeout.
• Dodson’s three-pointer from the corner with three minutes remaining in the first half put UK up 40-20, its first 20-point lead of the game.
• UK forced a shot-clock violation immediately following Dodson’s trey, marking the third shot-clock violation the Wildcats have forced this season.
• Wall followed up the shot-clock violation with his first three of the game, putting UK up 43-20.
• At the half, UK held a 45-23 lead, with Patterson (nine), Wall (eight), Miller (six) and Dodson (six) leading the Wildcats in scoring. All nine players who saw action in the first half totaled points. Wall also totaled six assists in the first frame.
• UK held an 18-13 advantage in rebounds, a 14-4 mark in assists, a 7-3 lead in steals, committing just four turnovers compared to UNC Asheville’s 12 turnovers.
• UK shot 52-percent from the floor in the first half, including a 5-for-10 mark from behind the arc. UNC Asheville totaled a 40-percent mark from the floor in the period, connecting on 3-of-9 three-point attempts.

Second-Half Notes

• UK started the lineup of Wall, Miller, Bledsoe, Cousins and Patterson in the second half.
• UNC Asheville opened the half with four unanswered points to cut the lead to 45-27, before Cousins connected on a putback.
• Wall found Patterson for a slam to put UK up 60-30, the largest lead so far on the night. Cousins followed a UNC Asheville turnover with a dunk of his own to take the lead to 62-30 with 15:31 remaining, forcing a Bulldogs timeout.
• From the 17:37 mark until the 10:47 mark in the second half, UK went on a 29-5 run.
• With 8:46 left in the game, UK held an 80-40 lead, its largest of the game, and was in the midst of a 20-10 run.

Team Notes

• Kentucky is the NCAA’s all-time wins leader with 1,995 wins. UK needs just five more victories to become the first team to eclipse 2,000 wins in college basketball history.
• The Wildcats totaled 90 or more points for the fourth game of the season.
• UK outrebounded UNC Asheville 41-31, marking the seventh consecutive game this year UK won the battle of the boards. UNC Asheville totaled just seven offensive rebounds, equaling a season-low allowed, when UK held Miami (Ohio) to just seven offensive rebounds.
• UK edged UNC Asheville 50-16 in points in the paint, also nabbing a 36-9 mark in points off turnovers.
• The Wildcats totaled a season-high 12 steals, the second game this season with double-digit steals.
• UK turned the ball over a season-low eight times and dished out a season-best 28 assists.
• With just eight fouls committed in the game, UK set a new season-low.
• The Wildcats totaled 12 dunks in the game, a new season-best. Entering the game, UK had 21 total dunks on the season.
• UK has held five consecutive opponents to under 50-percent shooting from the three-point line, as UNC Asheville finished 40-percent (8-for-20) from behind the arc.
• UK shot over 50-percent from the field for the fourth game this season, totaling 52-percent from the field. The Wildcats also totaled a 44-percent shooting mark from behind the arc, the fourth game this season going over 40-percent.

Individual Notes

• Patterson totaled 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one block in 31 minutes of action.
  • Patterson has scored in double figures in six of seven games this season.
  • After going 1-for-3 from behind the arc, Patterson has made a three pointer in five of seven games this season.
  • He has one block in each game this year.
• Wall was named the Greater Louisville UK Alumni Association Player of the Game, after charting his second career double-double, posting 12 points and a career-high 14 assists.
  • Wall’s 14 assists marked the first UK player to hand out 14 assists since UK great Travis Ford totaled 15 assists against EKU on Dec. 8, 1993.
    • Wall turned the ball over a season-low one time in the contest, logging 26 minutes.
  • Wall has scored in double figures in all six games in his career.
  • Wall added a career-high six steals in the game.
    • The last UK player to chart six steals in a game was Jodie Meeks, who stole six against Mississippi State on March 9, 2007.
• Cousins led UK with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, adding two blocks in just 17 minutes.
  • Cousins’ 24 points mark his second-highest scoring output of the season, just shy of his career-high 27 points against Sam Houston State.
  • With two blocks, Cousins has swatted at least two shots in each game of his UK career.
  • Cousins has scored in double figures in six consecutive games.
  • After an 8-for-10 performance from the free-throw line, Cousins set a new career high in free throws made.
  • Cousins’ 24 points and 10 rebounds marks his third career double-double.
• Miller charted nine points, one assist and one steal in 29 minutes of action.
  • With three successful three-point attempts, Miller equaled his career-high, for the fourth time in his career and the third time this season.
    • After a 3-for-6 outing from behind the arc against Stanford, Miller has now made three three-point attempts in two straight games.
• Orton totaled five points and five rebounds in 16 minutes, blocking two shots.
• Bledsoe finished with seven points, five assists and three steals in 26 minutes.
  • Bledsoe has hit a three pointer in five consecutive games and in six of seven games.
• Dodson equaled a career-high with 15 points, adding two assists and one block in 20 minutes.
  • Dodson’s 15 points equaled the 15 points he put up in the opener against Morehead State.