LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Jodie Meeks scored 21 points and Kentucky’s defense suffocated Vanderbilt in a 70-60 victory in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools on Saturday.
“We had about a 10-minute stretch there in the second half where we let the game get away from us,” Kevin Stallings, VU head coach, said. “We took some bad shots and had some turnovers and that turned into transition baskets for them.
“I thought, all in all, our guys fought hard. I was proud of the fight we had in us and I thought we played as hard as I could have hoped for.”
Ramon Harris added 12 points and seven rebounds while making all five of his shots and the Wildcats (12-4, 1-0) held the Commodores (11-4, 0-1) to just 31.6 percent shooting (18 of 57) in snapping Vanderbilt’s six-game winning streak.
Jermaine Beal led Vanderbilt with 18 points and Jeffery Taylor had 15 points and 11 rebounds, but the Commodores struggled without leading scorer A.J. Ogilvy. The sophomore dressed but watched the entire game from the bench after aggravating a heel injury on Friday.
“We knew he wasn’t going to be able to go this morning,” remarked Stallings. “He hurt his foot yesterday in the first 15 minutes of practice. We hoped it would get better in time for the game, but obviously it didn’t.
“As a result, we didn’t score very many points inside today. He is certainly our best low-post player but that is not to say that if he played then the outcome of the game would be any different.”
The Wildcats took control during a 21-4 run early in the second half. The Commodores got as close as six in the final minute, but Kentucky made its free throws to avoid a late-game collapse.
“It’s part of the game,” Beal noted. “I guess time just runs out for us and it was one of those games where there’s nothing you can do and it was too late I guess.”
