Aside from a three-point triumph over Indiana at the RCA Dome on Dec. 6, all of Kentucky's victories have come by at least 14 points. The Wildcats also won their 26th consecutive game in December. Their last loss during the month came to Louisville, 86-79, on Dec. 30, 1989.
"We have to take care of things no matter who's on the court (as our opponent)," said Padgett. "That's something we have worked on -- staying focused."
Nathan Smith scored 16 points for American (3-6), which had its three-game winning streak broken. The Eagles fell to 0-3 on the road, losing to Kentucky, George Washington and Texas by a combined 66 points.
"It's a privilege and a challenge for us to play a team like Kentucky, with their great tradition," said American coach Art Perry. "Overall, I'm pleased with the trip, and the performance of the team."
Kentucky led 35-25 at halftime and had extended the advantage by just one point, 43-32, four minutes into the period. But the Wildcats then exploded to take control. After Edwards hit two from the foul line and Cameron Mills nailed a 3-pointer, Mohammed hit a layup for a 50-34 bulge.
Although Mohammed would steal the ball on American's next two possessions, Kentucky was not able to convert until the 6-foot-10 center hit another layup for an 18-point advantage with just over 12 minutes remaining. A 3-pointer by Mills three minutes later capped the outburst and put Kentucky up, 60-35.
The Wildcats, who held a slight 30-29 advantage on the boards, have outrebounded every one of their opponents this season. Kentucky shot 57 percent (29-of-51) from the field and was 12-of-16 from the foul line.
American connected on only 19-of-51 (37 percent) from the floor, although it did hit on 7-of-17 3-pointers. However, the Eagles were victimized by 17 turnovers which turned into 27 Kentucky points. The Wildcats tied their season low with 10 turnovers and had a season-low 11 fouls.
(4) KENTUCKY 75, American 52
AMERICAN (52)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Childs 30 3-4 1-4 1-5 2 2 7
Smith 35 6-13 0-0 1-2 1 4 16
Small 34 1-7 3-3 4-9 4 1 5
Telly 32 3-8 1-2 2-3 0 3 7
Brown 18 1-2 1-2 0-0 1 3 3
Marquiss 14 1-6 0-2 2-4 1 4 2
Jones 17 2-6 0-0 1-2 0 0 5
Clayton 11 0-1 0-0 1-1 0 0 0
Olsen 6 2-4 1-2 0-1 0 0 7
Spadafore 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 200 19-51 7-15 12-27 11 17 52
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.373, FT-.467. 3-Point Goals:
7-17, .412 (Smith 4-11, Jones 1-2, Olsen 2-4).
Team rebounds: 2. Blocked shots: 1 (Marquiss).
Turnovers: 17 (Childs 3, Small 3, Smith 3,
Clayton 2, Jones 2, Marquiss 2, Olsen, Telly).
Steals: 6 (Childs 3, Clayton, Jones, Marquiss).
KENTUCKY (75)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Edwards 32 6-10 2-2 2-4 5 0 16
Padgett 26 5-6 0-0 1-7 5 1 11
Magloire 17 3-6 2-2 1-6 0 2 8
Turner 24 3-6 0-0 0-1 2 2 6
Sheppard 11 0-1 2-2 0-0 2 0 2
Mohammed 17 5-5 1-2 1-4 1 1 11
Evans 14 2-4 0-0 1-2 0 0 4
Mills 15 3-4 0-0 0-0 2 0 8
Smith 16 0-3 2-2 0-0 0 4 2
Anthony 8 0-1 1-2 0-2 0 1 1
Bradley 9 2-2 2-4 2-2 2 0 6
Hogan 9 0-2 0-0 0-1 3 0 0
Masiello 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 200 29-51 12-16 8-29 22 11 75
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.569, FT-.750. 3-Point Goals:
5-13, .385 (Edwards 2-5, Padgett 1-2, Mills 2-2,
Smith 0-2, Hogan 0-1, Masiello 0-1). Team
rebounds: 1. Blocked shots: 3 (Mohammed, Mills,
Bradley). Turnovers: 10 (Padgett 5, Bradley 2,
Hogan, Magloire, Mills). Steals: 9 (Edwards 2,
Padgett 2, Bradley, Masiello, Mohammed, Sheppard,
Smith).
__________________________________
American 25 27 - 52
Kentucky 35 40 - 75
__________________________________
Technical fouls: Kentucky 1 (Bradley). A:
22,856. Officials: Ted Hillary, Mike Wood, John
Heatley.
