University of Kentucky

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES KENTUCKY at GEORGIA STEGEMAN COLISEUM | ATHENS, Ga. JAN. 7, 2020 ATTENDANCE: 10,523 Final Score: No. 14/13 Kentucky 78, Georgia 69

January 8, 2020
limestonesportsnetwork

Compiled by Tony Neely


Final Score: No. 14/13 Kentucky 78, Georgia 69

Team Records and Series Notes 

  • Kentucky is now 11-3, winning three in a row, and is 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference.  
    • UK is 2-0 in league play for the seventh time in 11 seasons under head coach John Calipari.
    • This was UK’s first true road game of the season. UK is 5-6 in true road openers under Calipari but has won the last three. It is the first time UK has won three straight true road openers since doing so from the 1995-96 through the 1997-98 seasons.
    • UK is 8-3 in SEC road openers under Calipari. 
  • Georgia is 10-4 overall, 0-1 in the SEC.  
  • UK leads the series 128-26 and has won 13 in a row vs. the Bulldogs. 
    • UK leads 44-17 in games played in Athens.
  • Next up: Kentucky hosts Alabama on Saturday at noon. The game will be televised by ESPN. 

Player Notes   

  • Nick Richards and Tyrese Maxey shared team honors with 17 points and seven rebounds each.
  • Richards shot an efficient 8 of 11 from the field, and UK is 10-0 this season when he scores in double figures. He received the Bill Keightley Award from the UK Atlanta Alumni Club as the game’s most valuable player.
  • Maxey added career highs with eight assists and four blocked shots. UK is 5-0 this season when he has at least four assists.
  • Immanuel Quickley came off the bench for 15 points, including 3 of 3 on 3-pointers, and had five rebounds. 
    • He is averaging 18.7 points during UK’s current three-game win streak.
    • He has made 9 of 17 on 3-point shots over those three games.
    • Quickley made 2 of 3 foul shots but missed his first attempt, ending a streak of 24 straight foul shots. It was UK’s longest streak since Tyler Herro made 38 in a row last season.
  • Coming off a sprained left ankle incurred late in the Missouri game, Ashton Hagans had 13 points, five assists and four steals. 
    • He now has 11 straight games with at least five assists, the best run since Tyler Ulis dished out five or more in 24 straight games from Dec. 26, 2015, to March 17, 2016.
    • He ended a 10-game streak of six or more assists, which is the best such run of the John Calipari era.
    • His 7.1 assist average is a school-record pace (7.0 by Ulis, 2015-16). 
  • Nate Sestina provided solid minutes down the stretch and finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

Coach John Calipari 

  • Calipari is now 316-74 at UK.    
  • He has a 761-214 all-time on-court record. 
  • UK is 255-42 vs. unranked competition under Calipari. 
  • Dating back to the 2005-06 season, Calipari’s teams are 101-45 in road games.

Team Notes 

  • Kentucky won the game with an outstanding second half. UK won the half 47-32, shot 58.6%, including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers, and had 11 assists on 17 made baskets.
  • UK shot 50% from the field and Georgia hit 42.1%, moving Kentucky to 10-0 this season when outshooting the opponent.
    • The Wildcats are 5-0 this season when making at least half of their field-goal attempts.
  • Wildcats won the rebounding 41-35 and are now 10-0 this season when leading the board work.
  • Kentucky led by as many as 11 points. The Wildcats improved to 271-6 under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any time in the contest.
  • This was Kentucky’s 999th regular-season Southeastern Conference victory. 

In the First Half 

  • The starting lineup consisted of Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, Keion Brooks Jr., EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards. It’s only the second time this season UK has used the same lineup three games in a row.
    • Nate Sestina and Kahlil Whitney were the first subs at the 14:50 mark.    
  • After Georgia scored the first five points of the game, Kentucky roared back with the next 10.
  • UK made its first perimeter shot when Immanuel Quickley hit a 3-pointer with 7:05 remaining, tying the game at 24.
  • Ahead 29-28, Georgia made an 8-0 run late in the half to take a nine-point lead. A Hagans 3-pointer at the buzzer narrowed Georgia’s lead to 37-31 at intermission. It is UK’s largest halftime deficit of the season.

 In the Second Half 

  • Kentucky began the second half with Hagans, Maxey, Quickley, Sestina and Richards.
  • Kentucky pulled within one point at 39-38, 45-44, 49-48 and 51-50. 
  • Trailing 57-53, UK got over the hump with a 10-0 run.  
    • UK reclaimed the lead at 58-57 when Quickley made a 3-pointer at the 8:04mark, prompting a Georgia timeout.  It was UK’s first lead since 21-19 in the first half and the Wildcats never trailed again.
  • UK stretched the lead to 11 at 77-66 before finishing at 78-69.