University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Kentucky
#5 Kentucky Downs UNC Asheville 94-57
11.30.2009 | Men's Basketball
LOUISVILLE, KY. - DeMarcus Cousins scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as #5 Kentucky downed UNC Asheville 94-57 as Freedom Hall Monday night before a crowd of 15,368,
The Bulldogs (0-6) battled but the Wildcats had too much size and speed. Sean Smith led Asheville with a season-high 19 points. He went 6-of-11 from the field and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Freshman center D.J. Cunningham made his first career start a solid one as he grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and blocked three shots.
Kentucky also had a great game from freshman guard John Wall who had 12 points and a career-best 14 assists. Patrick Patterson contributed 17 points and nine rebounds.
"We battled and competed but simply made too many mistakes against a team the caliber of Kentucky to win," commented Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "We made some really bad turnovers against their press where we simply didn't make smart passes. Sometimes you can get away with those passes in practice, but you don't get away with team against a team like Kentucky."
The Wildcats had a great night on offense as they shot 52 percent (36-of-69) from the field and had 28 assists. UK entered the game averaging more than 20 turnovers per game but only had eight on Monday night.
Kentucky knocked down its first three 3-point attempts and built an early 19-9 lead. The Wildcats steadily built on the lead and used a 10-0 run late in the half to lead 45-23 at halftime
The Bulldogs trailed 51-30 early in the second half as Smith hit his fourth trey of the game with 17 minutes left. The Wildcats' pressure defense forced Asheville turnovers as UK went on a 20-2 run to race to a 71-32 lead.
"We're getting better but we're not where we want to be right now," stated Biedenbach. "Hopefully a game like this with a team like Kentucky will make us better and get us prepared for Big South Conference play."
The Bulldogs open Big South Conference play this Friday night when they travel to Gardner-Webb for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
