Spring Break
Dogs destroyed on Cats' court
BRADLEY HANDWERGER
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The 3rd-ranked Wildcats defeated No. 20 Georgia 87-67 in front of a sold-out crowd and an ESPN national television audience. Kentucky has won 13 straight games since losing to Louisville on Dec. 28. The 20-point loss was Georgia's biggest defeat of the year.
Junior guard Jarvis Hayes did his part to try and keep the Bulldogs (13-7, 5-4 SEC) in the game, hitting 8 of 18 shots for 17 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the defensive-minded Wildcats (19-3, 9-0 SEC).
The Bulldogs couldn't surmount a 12-point halftime deficit, their largest of the season. Georgia went stone cold in the second half, missing on its first seven shots, creating too much room to come back in a rowdy Rupp Arena.
What eventually did the Bulldogs in was a hot-shooting Wildcat offense combined with a defense that wouldn't allow Georgia the easy shot. In the second half, the Bulldogs went 15-for-36 from the floor, but by the time they began to hit their shots, Kentucky was comfortably ahead. Kentucky, however, went 34 of 68 for the game.
By the 15:51 mark of the second half, the game was essentially over as Kentucky opened up a 23 point lead. From there, Georgia cut the lead to less than 20 several times, but the Wildcats kept pouring in shots, never allowing Georgia to really get back in the game.
Junior guard Damien Wilkins came off the bench to give the Bulldogs a lift, adding 21 points and three rebounds.
Six Kentucky players scored in double digits, with Marquis Estill leading the way with 16 points.
Georgia has now lost two in a row for the first time since starting the season 1-3. Kentucky, with seven SEC games left, is trying for the first undefeated season in the SEC since the Wildcats did it in the 1995-96 season.
The Bulldogs come home to play Vanderbilt on Saturday at 4 p.m.
