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  Saturday, Jan. 8 5:00pm ET
Wildcats keep Vandy 0-for-Rupp
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Vanderbilt came into Rupp Arena making more than half its field-goal attempts and over 40 percent of its 3-point tries.

The Commodores left the same way they left Rupp the other 22 times they faced Kentucky there -- as losers, this time by a score of 72-52.

The Wildcats (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today, No. 25 AP) dominated Saturday's Southeastern Conference game by giving the Commodores (10-2, 1-1 SEC) the most stifling defensive pressure they had seen all season, forcing 29 Vanderbilt turnovers that led to 36 Kentucky points.

"The game was dictated by them," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. "They played harder than we did, they played smarter than we did.

"There was nothing about the game that indicated we could win."

The Wildcats (10-4, 1-0) have won six straight since losing four of five and temporarily dropping from the Top 25 for the first time in nine years.

Kentucky limited the Commodores to just 18-of-48 shooting overall and 9-of-24 from 3-point range, both 37.5 percent.

Vanderbilt was coming off an 87-77 home upset of No. 6 Florida on Wednesday that raised hopes the Commodores might finally end their 0-for-Rupp streak against Kentucky.

However, Dan Langhi, who scored 31 points against the Gators, had just 14 on Saturday on 6-of-14 shooting. Sam Howard, who made 7-of-8 3-pointers against Florida, was 4-of-9 from beyond the arc against Kentucky.

"The emphasis was guarding the 3-pointer and limiting Dan Langhi's touches," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said.

By constantly switching the player who was defending Langhi, sometimes in mid-possession, Kentucky kept him under control.

"You have to give him different looks all the time," Smith said. "If the same guy is always guarding him he'll get used to the defense and have a big night."

Tayshaun Prince led the Wildcats with 17 points, including five 3-pointers, while Jamaal Magloire had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Keith Bogans and J.P. Blevins each scored 10.

Kentucky has won 14 straight over Vanderbilt, which has not beaten Kentucky in Lexington since January 1974, when the Wildcats still played at Memorial Coliseum.

In the first half, as the Wildcats built a 35-27 lead, the Wildcats made 5-of-10 3-pointers to Vandy's 4-of-13.

Smith, however, wasn't happy, as he watched the Wildcats miss a number of open shots, Prince miss a slam-dunk attempt and Bogans and Jules Camara misfire on an alley-oop try.

"We really couldn't convert the first half," Smith said. "We can do some spectacular things, but to do those you have to do the fundamental things."

The second half was all Kentucky, which blew the game open with a 13-0 run that made it 62-40 with 3:41 remaining.

Prince, a sophomore from Compton, Calif., continued to show why he has become Kentucky's best all-around player. With 9:09 remaining and Kentucky up 51-40, the 6-foot-9 forward leaped to block a 3-point attempt by Howard, then blew past Howard to grab the ball, taking it downcourt for a dunk and a 53-40 lead.

"Coach said if you keep your hands down, no matter where you are on the court, he'll shoot," Prince said. "So I had my hands down and I knew he had a slow release, so the key was just that he got it off slow and I was able to block it and control the basketball."

Minutes later, Prince lobbed the ball high off the inbounds play to Camara, who threw down a dunk for a 58-40 lead.

"I saw Langhi guarding Jules and he looked a little tired, he was leaning down at the knees," he said. "I just threw it up to the rim and Jules is a great leaper and Saul (Smith) set a great pick, so it was great play."

The loss brought Stallings, the Commodores' first-year coach, back to earth after the win over Florida.

"It doesn't matter what kind of team you think you are, it matters what you play like," he said.

 


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