National Basketball Association
Kentucky 85, Grand Canyon 45
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, November 14, 2014
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Officials:
# Rob Groover, # Brian Shey, # Olandis Poole
Attendance:
22533
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 1 Kentucky 85, Grand Canyon 45: Andrew Harrison scored the game's first seven points and finished with 16 as the Wildcats led wire-to-wire in a lopsided season-opening victory.
Freshman Trey Lyles scored 14 points and Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 as the Wildcats improved to 92-19 all-time in season openers, including 6-0 under coach John Calipari. Dakari Johnson contributed a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds as Kentucky held the visitors to 16 points in the first half.
Royce Woolridge, a transfer from Washington State, knocked down all four 3-point attempts en route to a team-high 15 points for the Antelopes (0-1), who kicked off their second season playing Division I. Forward Daniel Alexander chipped in 10 points.
Woolridge scored six points in a row to counter Harrison's early burst and bring Grand Canyon within 10-6, but it was all Kentucky from there. Lyles scored five straight points to push the lead to 19-6 and the Wildcats steadily pulled away, opening a 29-point lead before heading to the locker room ahead 43-16.
Seven players scored at least seven points for Kentucky, which forced 21 turnovers and blocked 10 shots. The Antelopes hit 7-of-15 3-pointers but shot just 31.3 percent overall.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Wildcats extended their streak with at least one 3-pointer to 900 games, the second-longest active string in the nation. ... G Jerome Garrison, Grand Canyon's leading scorer last season at 16.6 points per game, missed all five shots from the floor and finished with two points. ... Wildcats freshman C Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the nation's top recruits, had eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Top Game Performances
Grand Canyon |
|
Kentucky |
Royce Woolridge 15 |
Scoring |
Andrew Harrison 16 |
Daniel Alexander 2 |
Assists |
Andrew Harrison 3 |
Tobe Okafor 4 |
Rebounds |
Dakari Johnson 13 |
Daniel Alexander 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Andrew Harrison 5 |
De'Andre Davis 2 |
Steals |
Devin Booker 2 |
Tobe Okafor 2 |
Blocks |
Willie Cauley-Stein 4 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Grand Canyon
|
45 |
31.2 |
7-15 |
8-16 |
8 |
20 |
3 |
5 |
21 |
Kentucky
|
85 |
48.6 |
3-14 |
14-19 |
13 |
47 |
10 |
8 |
13 |