Kentucky 82, Eastern Kentucky 49

[December 08, 2014]  No. 1 Kentucky 82, Eastern Kentucky 49: Freshman Karl-Anthony Towns scored a career-high 19 points to go with nine rebounds and four blocks as the Wildcats demolished the visiting Colonels.

Fellow freshman Trey Lyles had 10 points and 10 boards off the bench for Kentucky (9-0), which led 41-14 at halftime and finished with a 48-28 advantage in rebounding and an 11-1 edge in blocks. Willie Cauley-Stein contributed five boards and two blocks to go with 11 points and two steals.

Towns shot 8-of-9 from the field while Cauley-Stein was 5-of-8 as the Wildcats outshot the Colonels 56.9 percent to 26.1 percent. Denzel Richardson scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and Corey Walden chipped in 12 points as Eastern Kentucky (4-3) went 6-of-30 from 3-point range in losing its third straight game.

Kentucky called timeout after Richardson's 3-pointer got Eastern Kentucky within 15-10 about 8 1/2 minutes into the game, and the Wildcats responded with a dunk and a three-point play by Towns en route to a 26-4 run to close the half. The Colonels did not score over the final seven minutes of the session, missing their final 12 shots, while Kentucky scored the last 15 points of the period.

Towns nearly matched Eastern Kentucky in the first half, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting while the Colonels scored 14 first-half points on 6-of-36 shooting. Eastern Kentucky scored the first seven points of the second half, but a prompt 11-2 run by the hosts ended any hopes of a comeback.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Towns has scored in double figures in four straight games after failing to surpass nine points in any of his first five contests. ... Lyles set a career high in rebounds and notched his first career double-double. ... Kentucky entered shooting 30.1 percent from 3-point range and watched that figure dip after connecting on 3-of-13 from beyond the arc.

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