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Kentucky rips Auburn behind big game from Jones

Jan 12, 2011 - 1:03 PM Lexington, KY (Sports Network) - Freshman forward Terrence Jones poured in 35 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked two shots to lead 13th-ranked Kentucky to a 78-54 rout of Auburn in its SEC home opener.

Jones made 4-of-5 three-pointers and 11-of-17 shots overall in the highest- scoring performance of his young Wildcats career. He broke Kentucky's freshman single-game scoring record of 32 points, set by Doron Lamb on December 22.

Jones came off the bench because he had a chest cold and couldn't practice, according to Kentucky head coach John Calipari, who said he liked how the forward played in a reserve role. Jones said his motivation stemmed from Saturday's setback to Georgia more than not starting.

"I was just more focused on coming off the loss and trying to improve as a team and show our teammates that we play better when we step up at the start and play," Jones said.

Brandon Knight posted 13 points, six assists and five rebounds for Kentucky (13-3, 1-1 SEC).

Allen Payne had 15 points to lead Auburn (7-9, 0-2), which has lost 12 consecutive games against Kentucky. Kenny Gabriel added 13 points and nine boards for the Tigers.

"It was pretty rough because we're a young team and we haven't experienced a crowd like this," Gabriel said of the Rupp Arena atmosphere. "It was the first time this season for everybody to come into a situation like this and to try to get a win. We just have to learn from it and move on."

Knight and Darius Miller sank back-to-back threes to give Kentucky a 13-2 advantage a little more than three minutes into the game. Gabriel followed with a dunk about three minutes later, but Jones sank a layup on Kentucky's next possession, and Auburn didn't get within single digits again.

Kentucky gained total control moments later with a 9-0 run. Lamb and Knight sank threes before Jones' three-point play made it a 24-5 game with more than 11 minutes still left in the first half.

Auburn didn't help itself much, shooting just 27 percent in another poor first half -- the Tigers scored only six first-half points in Saturday's loss to LSU.

On Tuesday, they didn't crack double digits until Adrian Forbes hit a jumper with under four minutes left in the period, and faced a 41-21 deficit at the break.

Kentucky maintained its advantage in the second half, when it shot 52 percent.

Game Notes

Kentucky extended its home winning streak to 27 games...The Wildcats hold an 85-17 lead in the all-time series against Auburn...Miller scored 10 points for Kentucky, while Lamb totaled eight points and seven assists...Rob Chubb chipped in 10 points for Auburn.