UK opened its 107th season of basketball winning its NCAA leading 1,989
game.
Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart presented senior forward Patrick
Patterson with a game ball before the game for eclipsing the 1,000-point
mark at the end of last season.
This was the ninth meeting all-time between the Wildcats and the Eagles,
and the seventh game played in Lexington. Kentucky is now 9-0 against Morehead
State and 7-0 in Lexington.
This was the first time Kentucky head coach John Calipari has coached against
Morehead State.
Kentucky is now 88-19 all-time in season openers, winning seven of their
last eight season openers. The Wildcats are also 91-16 all-time in home openers.
UK is now 427-60 all-time in Rupp Arena, including 86 of its last 109 games.
Kentucky is now 159-68 against teams in the state of Kentucky.
A record crowd of 24,338 witnessed the game, it is the largest season opener
crowd in UK history. The previous season opening record crowd was in 1993
when 24,327 watched the Wildcats beat Louisville.
It was also the 11th largest crowd in the history of Rupp Arena.
The Wildcats return to action on Monday, Nov. 16, when they face the Miami
University Redhawks at Rupp Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Wildcats extended their streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer
to 712, the third longest streak in the country.
Trailing 4-5 early in the first half, Kentucky went on an 18-3 run that
held the Eagles scoreless for more than five minutes regaining the lead and
creating a 14-point cushion.
Morehead went on a 9-0 run late in the first half to cut the Kentucky lead
to five.
Kentucky lead at halftime by eight, 33-25.
Kentucky had two players score in double digits in the first half, the
first time two players have scored 10 or more points since Michael Porter
(12) and Patterson (10) against Georgia last season.
UK dominated the boards, holding a 43-24 rebounding advantage in the game
and scoring 36 points in the paint.
Kentucky started the second half on an 11-2 run, to open a 17-point lead,
the largest lead of the game at the time. Kentucky's largest lead in the
game was 25.
Three Wildcats scored in double figures in the game, Eric Bledsoe (24),
Patrick Patterson (20) and Darnell Dodson (15). It was the first time three
UK players have scored in double digits since Darius Miller (12), Jodie Meeks
(25) and Patterson (15) accomplished the feat in the 2009 SEC tournament
against Ole Miss.
Patterson scored 20 points or more and posted over 10 rebounds for the
11th time during his UK career. The last Wildcat to score over 20 points
and have more than 10 boards in a game was Patterson when he tallied 28 points
and 12 boards at South Carolina on Feb. 25, 2009.
Two Kentucky players, Patterson and Bledsoe, scored 20 or more points for
the first time since Meeks (24) and Patterson (28) did it against LSU last
season at Rupp.
The score was never tied, and there were only two lead changes in the game.
Kentucky did not trail after the 15:35 point in the first half.
UK blocked eight shots in the game, the most since blocking 14 against
Georgia, March 4, 2009.
Individual Game Notes
Junior forward Patrick Patterson hit Kentucky's first three-pointer in
the game. It was also the Huntington, W.Va. native's first three-pointer
of his career.
Patterson hit his first five shots of the game and went into the locker
room at halftime 6-of-8 from the field with 14 points and six rebounds. It
is the 21st time in his career that he has scored double figures in the first
half. (Eight times as a freshman and 12 times last season as a sophomore.)
The last time that Patterson scored 14 points in a first half was March
7, 2009 at Florida.
Sophomore guard Darnell Dodson scored in double figures in the first half.
Dodson had 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-6 from three-point
land.
Patrick Patterson totaled his 22nd career double-double with 20 points
and 12 rebounds. His 22 double-doubles is the most among active SEC players,
the next closes is LSU's Tasmin Mitchell who has 16.
Patterson's double-double is the first for Kentucky since Perry Stevenson
posted 13 points and 10 boards at Creighton last season.
Dating back to last year, Patterson has now scored 10 or more points in
11 consecutive games.
Eric Bledsoe became the first Wildcat player since Sam Bowie in 1979 to
score 20 or more points in their UK opener.
Bledsoe was 9-of-10 from the free throw line, becoming the first UK player
since Jodie Meeks hit nine from the charity stripe versus Georgia on March
4, 2009.
Bledsoe's 24 points is the most points scored by a Wildcat since Patterson
scored 28 against LSU on Feb. 28, 2009.
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