National Basketball Association
Kentucky 71, Buffalo 52
When: 12:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 16, 2014
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Officials:
# Patrick Adams, # James Barker, # Antinio Petty
Attendance:
22175
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 1 Kentucky 71, Buffalo 52: Tyler Ulis and Trey Lyles came off the bench to score 12 points each as the host Wildcats finally tucked away the pesky Bulls with a run midway in the second half.
Devin Booker finished with 10 points and Dakari Johnson finished with nine points and 12 rebounds off the bench for No. 1 Kentucky (2-0). The Wildcats, who will likely be tested heavily in their next matchup against No. 5 Kansas, shot just 6-for-20 from 3-point range.
Buffalo (1-1) was led by guard Jarryn Skeete, who finished with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting overall and 4-of-6 from 3-point range to go with two steals. Reserve Rodell Wigginton finished with 15 points but Justin Moss, who scored a career-high 25 points in the season opener against South Dakota State, finished with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Kentucky’s speed and athleticism finally wore out the Bulls, who led 45-43 with 14:21 remaining after a floater by Skeete. But a layup by Johnson and two dunks by Alex Poythress ignited a 28-7 run that buried Buffalo.
The Bulls held a surprising 38-33 lead at the half behind the strong shooting of Skeete, who shot poorly last season as he struggled adjusting from moving to shooting guard after playing point guard as a freshman. Buffalo’s highlight of the first half was Moss’ dunk over 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein but, eventually, Kentucky’s depth overwhelmed the Bulls.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The win was John Calipari’s 499th in his career. … Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley, the former Duke All-American, was booed heavily by the Rupp Arena crowd when he was announced. … Kentucky shot 34.3 percent from the field and committed 10 turnovers in the first half.
Top Game Performances
Buffalo |
|
Kentucky |
Jarryn Skeete 16 |
Scoring |
Trey Lyles 12 |
Lamonte Bearden 3 |
Assists |
Tyler Ulis 6 |
Justin Moss 6 |
Rebounds |
Dakari Johnson 12 |
Rodell Wigginton 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Devin Booker 4 |
Raheem Johnson 2 |
Steals |
Devin Booker 2 |
Xavier Ford 2 |
Blocks |
Dakari Johnson 4 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Buffalo
|
52 |
34.8 |
4-12 |
16-21 |
5 |
22 |
3 |
5 |
17 |
Kentucky
|
71 |
41.0 |
6-20 |
15-23 |
17 |
43 |
7 |
10 |
14 |