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Kentucky routs Mississippi Valley State

Dec 19, 2010 - 6:25 AM Lexington, KY (Sports Network) - Terrence Jones finished with 19 points and eight rebounds to lead a balanced Kentucky attack, as the 17th-ranked Wildcats took an 85-60 victory over Mississippi Valley State.

DeAndre Liggins and Doron Lamb both added 16 points for Kentucky (8-2), which has won three in a row since its two-point loss at North Carolina on December 4. While the Wildcats posted the routine victory, they had to play part of the game without head coach John Calipari, who was ejected late in the second half.

Brandon Knight and Darius Miller scored 14 points apiece for the Wildcats, who held Mississippi Valley State to 33 percent shooting and forced 23 turnovers.

D'Angelo Jackson had 17 points to pace the Delta Devils (1-9), who have lost four in a row.

MVSU head coach Sean Woods said he wished the game could have taken place a month ago, because his team would have had a better shot against a Kentucky team that hadn't yet hit its stride.

"They were young and trying to figure it out and we were pretty much a veteran team, and I thought that if I could keep it close they would falter a little bit," Woods said. "Now, they are almost in mid-season form."

MVSU kept it a close game for most of the first half. The teams traded the lead multiple times and there were seven ties over the first 12 minutes.

But with 7:47 to play, Knight sank a layup to start a 24-4 run Kentucky used to close the period. Lamb highlighted the surge with a pair of three-pointers, and Knight's trey in the final second gave the Wildcats a 44-24 lead at the break.

The Delta Devils made 26 percent of their shots in the first half and improved in the second, when they connected 41 percent of the time.

However, Kentucky's lead was simply too much to overcome. The Wildcats made 15-of-21 free throws in the second half and led by as many as 30 in cruising to the victory.

Calipari was ejected with 6:26 to play, after being given a second technical foul less than 20 seconds after the first, and went to the locker room.

"Took my coat off, put my feet up, had a little drink of water, said, 'This ain't so bad,'" said Calipari.

By the time Calipari was thrown out, Kentucky held a comfortable lead and cruised to the finish with assistant John Robic at the helm.

Game Notes

MVSU sank only 8-of-23 three-point tries...Kentucky recorded 11 blocked shots...The Wildcats shot 46 percent...Kentucky hosts Winthrop on Wednesday...MVSU plays at Marquette on Tuesday.