LDN - Sports

No. 2 Kentucky remains perfect, easily handles Duquesne

[November 21, 2016] LEXINGTON, Ky. -- No. 2 Kentucky improved to 4-0 Sunday night with a 93-59 victory over Duquesne at Rupp Arena.

Kentucky, fresh off its impressive 68-49 rout of Michigan State on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, wasted no time in dispatching Duquesne on its return home for the first of three games during Thanksgiving week.

"I was anxious to see was how we would play," UK coach John Calipari said. "Would there be a let-down? And then I would know that we were going to have young guys. But I thought we played and I think Isaiah Briscoe kind of dragged them in the first half. I thought we played hard. We're still learning about each other."

Five players scored in double figures to lead the 34-point victory. Freshman guard De'Aaron Fox led the way with 16 points. Freshman guard Malik Monk added 14, sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe and senior guard Mychal Mulder each scored 13 and freshman forward Bam Adebayo had 12 to go with his team-best eight rebounds.

The surprise of the night Mulder, who came off the bench for a career-best 13.

"I told him this week I was going to give him an opportunity because he's been here now a year and a couple months, and he's the one guy that hasn't been on that court to be given a chance to go play," Calipari said. "The guys in front of him have always been better than him. But now, all right, let him get that chance to play and that's why we did it. Today was a big, big step for him."

Duquesne was led by graduate transfer guard Emile Blackmon with 13 points. Sophomore guard Tarin Smith added 10.

Kentucky's defense also dominated, holding Duquesne to 30.4 percent shooting, including 20 percent from 3-point range. They also forced 18 turnovers.

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The Wildcats put the game away in the first half, blowing out to a 50-23 lead.

Fox had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists and Briscoe added nine points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds.

"That's one of the most talented teams I've seen with their length, athleticism and depth," Duquesne coach Jim Ferry said. "They are so relentless. It was really overwhelming at times out there. It's the size of their guards and the length of their guards. It's so challenging. But I watched the Michigan State game the other night and they did the same thing to them."

Kentucky (4-0) returns to action at 1 p.m. Wednesday against Cleveland State and 7 p.m. Friday against Tennessee-Martin.

NOTES: With Sunday's victory, Kentucky is projected to move to No. 1 in the new Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday because of Duke's loss to Kansas last week. Should that happen, it would mark the sixth time a John Calipari-coached UK team was No. 1. ... John Calipari is now tied with former coach Joe B. Hall for most wins by a UK coach in Rupp Arena. The facility opened in 1976. Calipari's record is 122-4 at Rupp.

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