Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Kentucky
Hoosiers Down No. 15 Wildcats, 79-53
12/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 10, 2005
Box Score | Photo Gallery
INDIANAPOLIS -- Behind a relentless and swarming defensive attack, the No. 16/18 Indiana men's basketball team stifled the No. 15/15 Kentucky Wildcats, 79-53, at the RCA Dome on Dec. 10. The 26-point triumph was the largest margin of victory for the Hoosiers in the 49 meetings between the two clubs, and it snapped the Wildcats five-game winning streak in the series. IU now stands at 5-2 this season, while UK falls to 6-3.
The Hoosier defense held Kentucky to 31.1 percent (19-of-61) from the floor and 7.4 percent (2-of-27) from three-point range. IU forced UK to 19 turnovers and converted those miscues into 25 points.
Meanwhile, the Hoosiers excelled from the floor with a stellar 53.3 shooting percentage (24-45). This is the first time in 32 ballgames Kentucky has allowed an opponent to shoot over 50 percent and just the second time in its last 75 contests.
Senior forward Marco Killingsworth paced the Hoosiers with a game-high 23 points and a game-high 11 boards. Killingsworth missed only one shot en route to a 7-of-8 performance.
Along with Killingsworth, in his third game back from injury sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff netted a career-high 21 points, all in the second half, in 21 minutes of action.
Tenacious defense along with some sharpshooting lifted the Hoosiers to a 35-19 lead at the break. The 19 points are the fewest allowed by IU in any half this season and the fewest points scored by UK in any stanza on the year.
In the half, Kentucky shot 29.6 percent from the field (8-of-27), including 0-for-12 from behind the arc, while Indiana posted a 54.5 percent shooting clip (12-of-22). The Wildcats turned the ball over 10 times, and the Hoosiers scored 14 points off those mistakes.
Killingsworth dominated in the post, collecting 14 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting and adding four boards. Sophomore wing Robert Vaden contributed seven points, three assists and two rebounds.
The duo combined for all 12 points during a 12-4 Hoosier run that provided IU a 16-8 advantage. During the stretch, Killingsworth delivered seven points while Vaden poured in five, including a three-pointer to cap the rally.
IU used another run, this time scoring nine unanswered, to capture a 25-12 lead with 8:03 remaining in the half. A pair of treys from freshman Ben Allen and junior Earl Calloway along with three points from Killingsworth accounted for the Hoosiers' nine-point outburst.
Senior guard Lewis Monroe sank a pair of free throws for the final points of the opening 20 minutes to give Indiana its largest lead in the half heading into the locker room.
Both teams struggled out of the gate in the second half as the Hoosiers could only muster two points and the Wildcats six in the first 8:24. IU still held a 37-25 lead when Killingsworth sparked a 12-2 run with a pair of free throws to end the drought and put the game away for all intents and purposes.
Ratliff chipped in a couple threes and a lay-up as the Hoosiers built a 22-point lead at 49-27 with 8:19 left in the contest.
Kentucky made one more run and closed the gap to 65-52 at the 1:52 mark, but Indiana was too much down the stretch, finishing the game on a 14-1 tear en route to the 26-point victory.
In addition to Killingsworth and Ratliff, Vaden (11 points) and senior guard Marshal Strickland (10 points) reached double figures. Vaden also added six rebounds and five assists.
The 52 points for Kentucky were the lowest since IU allowed 52 points to Indiana State on Nov. 23, 2004.
Up next, the Hoosiers return to action at Charlotte on Monday, Dec. 19. The contest is scheduled to tip off at 9 p.m. EST and will be televised on ESPN2. .
