No. 19 Kentucky 74, Portland 46: Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin each scored 15 points and the Wildcats turned in a complete defensive effort as they overwhelmed the visiting Pilots.
Nerlens Noel added seven points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven blocks for Kentucky (6-3), which has won two straight at Rupp Arena in convincing fashion after seeing its 55-game home winning streak come to an end last Saturday against Baylor.
The Wildcats, who allowed 42 points in the second half of their win over Samford on Tuesday after surrendering just 14 points over the first 20 minutes, held Portland to 27.1 percent shooting – a season low for both sides.
Kentucky took the lead for good on a 3-pointer from Poythress with 12:18 left in the first half, which sparked a 16-0 run over the next 5:18. Portland drew to within 10 points early in the second half, but Kentucky held the Pilots (3-6) without a field goal for a 7:40 stretch to establish a 19-point margin and continued to build on that advantage until the end.
Ryan Nicholas secured his third double-double of the year – and ninth of his career – with 15 points and 13 rebounds for Portland.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Noel has blocked at least five shots in four of his first nine games. … Portland has lost all five of its road games by an average of 20.6 points. … The Wildcats finished with a season-high 12 blocked shots, the fifth time they have reached double figures in 2012.
Portland | Kentucky | |
Ryan Nicholas 15 | Scoring | Archie Goodwin 15 |
Oskars Reinfelds 4 | Assists | Ryan Harrow 6 |
Ryan Nicholas 13 | Rebounds | Nerlens Noel 9 |
Ryan Nicholas 4 | Free Throws Made | Archie Goodwin 3 |
Oskars Reinfelds 2 | Steals | Willie Cauley-Stein 2 |
Riley Barker 1 | Blocks | Nerlens Noel 7 |