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Kentucky pulls away late to down Indiana

Dec 12, 2010 - 9:15 AM Lexington, KY (Sports Network) - DeAndre Liggins notched 19 points and nine rebounds as 17th-ranked Kentucky used a late surge to dispatch Indiana, 81-62, at Rupp Arena.

Brandon Knight sank all 10 of his free-throw attempts en route to 18 points for the Wildcats (7-2), who have won three of four and enjoy a week off before hosting Mississippi Valley State.

"We won the game on a four-minute stretch," admitted Kentucky head coach John Calipari. "They exploited our weaknesses, they made plays and as I look at it I sat there and I was just shaking my head. But what I told the guys after, any time you win, you're happy. Just, we are happy. Got a week off."

Josh Harrellson added 14 points with a game-best 12 rebounds and Terrence Jones had 10 points with eight rebounds for Kentucky, which improved to 3-0 at home this season and has beaten the Hoosiers three straight times.

Christian Watford scored 19 points with nine rebounds for the Hoosiers (7-2), who have dropped two of three after beginning the year 6-0. Jordan Hulls and Victor Oladipo added 10 points apiece for Indiana, which hasn't won in Lexington since 1988.

Hulls hit a deuce just over three minutes into the second half and the Hoosiers took a 37-34 lead, but the Wildcats once again responded, and when Doron Lamb drained a trey it was 43-41 for the home team with roughly 5 1/2 minutes played.

The lead continued to shift back and forth from there, and neither team was able to forge ahead by a larger margin than four points until the late stages, when Kentucky seized control with a game-ending 25-5 run.

Liggins hit two from the line to give Kentucky a 56-52 edge with 11:03 remaining, but Indiana reeled off five in a row to go ahead 57-56 on a Watford three. It was the last time Indiana led in the contest.

Liggins bookended an 8-0 burst with a trey and three-point play to make it 64-57 with 6;05 to go. Harrellson's layup and a three-pointer from Knight gave the Wildcats a 71-60 edge, and Lamb followed with a deuce and a free throw for a 14-point advantage with 2:09 on the clock.

The Hoosiers were held without a field goal between Watford's make from beyond the arc until 38 seconds remained and Jeremiah Rivers connected on a lay-in.

Liggins hit two from the line in the final 30-plus seconds to account for the final score.

"There's a lot of things that go right for you when you play on the road, especially when you play a team like Kentucky, and for most of this game, we were doing that," said Indiana head coach Tom Crean. "We were answering the bell, we were answering the runs. I know we didn't make a field goal in the last nine minutes but we were getting good looks. Our opportunities to get to the foul line weren't there as much late in the game either."

Kentucky led 5-2 early, then trailed 13-9 after a Watford trey before ripping off seven in a row for a 16-13 advantage after a three-ball from Darius Miller 9 1/2 minutes in.

Harrellson's slam extended Kentucky's edge to 28-21 with 4:26 before halftime, but an Oladipo dunk kick-started Indiana's 10-4 run to end the half, as Will Sheehey hit a layup in the lane to get the Hoosiers within 32-31 at the break.

Game Notes

Kentucky has won 31 of the 54 matchups with Indiana...The Hoosiers last beat the Wildcats in Bloomington on December 8, 2007...Indiana's last win at Rupp was a 75-52 decision on December 20, 1988...Lamb struck for nine points...Rivers had seven points and five rebounds...The Hoosiers, who hit 50 percent from the field in the first half, shot just 34.6 percent in the second 20 minutes...Kentucky made 31-of-44 from the charity stripe and owned the glass by a 45-33 margin.