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Kentucky tops ODU for Hall of Fame Tipoff title

Nov 20, 2011 - 10:07 PM Uncasville, CT (Sports Network) - Darius Miller and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist keyed a late second-half run to lift second-ranked Kentucky to a 62-52 win over Old Dominion in the championship game of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tipoff.

Miller and Kidd-Gilchrist each finished with 13 points, and combined for six in a 10-0 burst that enabled Kentucky (4-0) to expand a one-point margin down the stretch. Anthony Davis contributed 11 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

Chris Cooper scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Old Dominion (3-2), which had won three in a row, including a 68-66 overtime triumph over South Florida on Saturday. Trian Iliadis added 11 points in defeat.

"I thought we had a little bit of fatigue," said Old Dominion head coach Blaine Taylor. "We played our fifth game in eight days and we have gotten better and better and better."

Kentucky carried a 32-27 lead to the break and extended the margin to 11 at 42-31 on a pair of Davis free throws with 13 1/3 minutes remaining, but Old Dominion clawed back and drew within 50-49 on a three-pointer by Iliadis with just over seven minutes to play.

The Monarchs didn't make a basket the rest of the way and Kentucky scored the next 10 points. Kidd-Gilchrist started the surge with a layup and finished it with a dunk off a feed from Miller for a 60-49 advantage with 3:40 left.

Old Dominion had a pair of turnovers and missed five shots during its drought before Cooper made a free throw with 1:58 left.

"We got out of here alive somehow, and the reason we got out of alive is because Darius played," said Kentucky head coach John Calipari about Miller's effort. "If he didn't play, we'd probably get beat by 10 or 12."

The Monarchs shot just 32.1 percent from the field and made only 11-of-17 free throws. Kentucky shot 45.3 percent overall and connected on just 4-of-13 from three-point range.

"We were just scrapping," Taylor added. "I thought we were pretty good with loose balls and we came up with some boards. We were pretty opportunistic on offense, and we're a pretty good defense team, too."

Old Dominion scored seven straight to open an 18-11 lead 8 1/2 minutes into the game, but Kentucky answered with the next seven and tied it on a bucket by Kidd-Gilchrist. Breon Key then beat the shot-clock buzzer with a three-pointer for the Monarchs, who built a 25-20 edge moments later on an Iliadis layup.

The Wildcats, however, closed the first half with a 12-2 run. Miller's three- point play gave Kentucky a 30-27 edge and Miller added two from the line with 26 seconds left to send the Wildcats to the intermission with a five-point lead.

Game Notes

Kent Bazemore chipped in 10 points and four steals for Old Dominion...Miller finished with a game-high five assists...Kidd-Gilchrist added nine rebounds for the Wildcats, who held a 43-33 edge on the boards...Kentucky, which beat Penn State on Saturday in the tournament's first round, will next play on Wednesday at Rupp Arena against Radford.