The Sports Xchange
Nov 26, 2017
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Six Wildcats scored in double figures, and Kentucky topped the century mark for the first time this season in a 107-73 win over Illinois-Chicago on Sunday night.
With the win, No. 8 Kentucky closed out a busy November at 6-1. It was the Wildcats' seventh game in 16 days. By contrast, they play only six times during all of December.
Freshman forward Kevin Knox led the rout with 25 points, hitting 9 of 13 field-goal attempts and 7 of 10 free throws. Next came freshman guard Hamidou Diallo with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Freshman forward P.J. Washington scored 17, freshman guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 14, freshman guard Quade Green had 12, and freshman forward Nick Richards tallied 11.
As a team, Kentucky had its best shooting night of the season. The Wildcats shot 66.7 percent in both halves, finishing at 42 of 63. They had 22 assists against 14 turnovers.
Illinois-Chicago got 17 points from sophomore guard Godwin Boahen. Senior forward Tai Odiase had 15, sophomore forward Dikembe Dixson scored 14 and sophomore guard Dominique Matthews had 12.
As a team, UIC (2-3) shot 40.6 percent but had seven assists versus 21 turnovers.
Kentucky set a season high for points in a half, scoring 52 for a 17-point advantage at intermission. However, it was a short-lived record, broken in the second half with the Wildcats scoring 55.
Kentucky hit 20 of 30 first-half shots despite missing 4 of 5 attempts from 3-point range.
Knox led the way with 15 first-half points. Diallo added 11 and Gilgeous-Alexander 10.
Boahen paced UIC with 12 points before the break. The Flames shot 41.4 percent (12 of 29) prior to halftime but committed 12 turnovers.
NOTES: The win was the 700th of Kentucky coach John Calipari's career. UK qualified the feat as "on-court wins" as the NCAA ordered 38 wins during his time as Memphis coach vacated. ... Kentucky is now 220-4 all-time under Calipari when holding a double-digit lead at some point in the game. ... KenPom.com ranks Kentucky the least experienced team in the country this season. Last year, that honor went to UIC.