Football
Associated Press 19y

Shooting not a problem any more for Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- When your shots are falling, everything
else seems to work better, Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith
said.

That's as good an explanation as any for why No. 8 Kentucky
(14-2, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) is the SEC's last undefeated
squad in league play.

Three times in their last four outings, the Wildcats have shot
50 percent or better, including a 54.2-percent performance in an
89-58 win over LSU on Saturday.

Kentucky entered the game 10th in the SEC in shooting at 44.9
percent, but with many more performances like the one against the
Tigers, that number will improve.

"We just went out there and made our shots," senior forward
Chuck Hayes said. "We defended well and made extra passes.
(Patrick) Sparks got us on track with his 3-point shots and Ramel
(Bradley) came in with his offense. We even hit our free throws in
the first half. Everything was going in for us."

Coming off a season-low 53-point outing in a win over
Mississippi on Wednesday, the Wildcats posted their highest-scoring
first half of the season against LSU (9-6, 2-2) and beat the Tigers
for the 14th time in the last 15 games between the teams.

Sparks made all three of his 3-point attempts in the first half
and finished 5-of-7 from behind the arc for 15 points. Kelenna
Azubuike went 7-of-12 from the field and scored 16 points. Bradley
came off the bench to go 2-of-3 from 3-point range and score 10
points.

Kentucky made a season-high 11 3-pointers in 20 attempts.

"Kentucky could make shots all day," said LSU forward Ross
Neltner, a former Kentucky high school Mr. Basketball. "They would
transition to the basket and we did not do that. We had no
transition defense."

The Tigers also have little depth. Four of LSU's starters played
30 or more minutes, while none of Kentucky's starters played more
than 27 minutes. As a result, Kentucky wore down the Tigers in the
final minutes and the Wildcats closed the game on a 25-7 run.

"We got the proper rest for Kelenna and Patrick and Rajon
(Rondo)," Smith said. "We try to develop the bench and that's
something we've done over the years. It's starting to pay
dividends."

LSU's loss was its worst since falling by 32 points to Florida
in January 2002. Against the SEC's top scoring defense, the Tigers
finished 20 points under their season scoring average.

Defensively, the Wildcats' trio of Hayes, Randolph Morris and
Shagari Alleyne limited LSU's inside duo of Brandon Bass and Glen
Davis. Bass scored 14 points, three under his average, while Davis
went 1-of-5 from the field and scored nine points, five under his
average.

"Glen did not shoot in the first half and he usually averages a
double double," Neltner said. "That has been the key to our
success and our biggest asset in the game, making sure that he got
shots."

Bass had 10 rebounds and Davis had 12 rebounds, helping LSU to a
37-32 edge on the boards. But that wasn't enough to offset the
Tigers' 33.3-percent shooting effort or 18 turnovers. LSU went
5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from 3-point range.

"When you hold a team to 33 percent, you've done a good job,"
Smith said.

After falling behind 5-0, Kentucky scored 23 of the next 26
points to take a 23-8 lead. Kentucky led by as many as 20 in the
first half before LSU closed on a 9-2 run.

LSU pulled within eight points with 13:43 left, but Kentucky
freshman Joe Crawford -- in his first game since leaving, then
returning a week later to the Wildcats -- made two free throws and
followed with a 3-pointer, building Kentucky's lead to 62-49.

"Their perimeter really outplayed our guys and therein lied the
difference in the game," LSU coach John Brady said. "They were
just too good for us today."

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