National Basketball Association
Kentucky 69, Louisville 62
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 31, 2011
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Officials:
# Tony Greene, # Jamie Luckie, # Michael Stephens
Attendance:
24387
By SportsDirect Inc.
Freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had career highs of 24 points and 19 rebounds to help No. 3 Kentucky to a 69-62 win over No. 4 Louisville in the annual Battle of the Bluegrass.
Kentucky (13-1) also got 18 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots from Anthony Davis and 10 points from Doron Lamb.
Louisville (12-2) was led by Russ Smith, who scored 30 points with five rebounds. Gorgui Dieng had six blocks and five rebounds, but scored only five points.
The game was a struggle between two good defensive teams. Kentucky shot only 29.8 percent from the field (17 of 57) and Louisville shot only 32.3 percent (20 of 62), with the difference coming on the glass, where the Wildcats dominated, 37-21.
Kentucky has now beaten its in-state rival for three straight years and leads the series 29-16. The Wildcats have won five straight and extended their homecourt winning streak to 44 games.
Top Game Performances
Louisville |
|
Kentucky |
Russ Smith 30 |
Scoring |
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 24 |
Peyton Siva 4 |
Assists |
Marquis Teague 5 |
Chane Behanan 5 |
Rebounds |
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 19 |
Russ Smith 7 |
Free Throws Made |
Anthony Davis 12 |
Chris Smith 3 |
Steals |
Anthony Davis 3 |
Gorgui Dieng 6 |
Blocks |
Anthony Davis 6 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Louisville
|
62 |
32.3 |
4-18 |
18-27 |
6 |
28 |
8 |
12 |
14 |
Kentucky
|
69 |
29.8 |
3-16 |
32-43 |
10 |
49 |
7 |
6 |
20 |