National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Kentucky 71, Buffalo 52
When: 12:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 16, 2014
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Officials: # Patrick Adams, # James Barker, # Antinio Petty
Attendance: 22175

No. 1 Kentucky 71, Buffalo 52: Tyler Ulis and Trey Lyles came off the bench to score 12 points each as the host Wildcats finally tucked away the pesky Bulls with a run midway in the second half.

Devin Booker finished with 10 points and Dakari Johnson finished with nine points and 12 rebounds off the bench for No. 1 Kentucky (2-0). The Wildcats, who will likely be tested heavily in their next matchup against No. 5 Kansas, shot just 6-for-20 from 3-point range.

Buffalo (1-1) was led by guard Jarryn Skeete, who finished with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting overall and 4-of-6 from 3-point range to go with two steals. Reserve Rodell Wigginton finished with 15 points but Justin Moss, who scored a career-high 25 points in the season opener against South Dakota State, finished with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.

Kentucky’s speed and athleticism finally wore out the Bulls, who led 45-43 with 14:21 remaining after a floater by Skeete. But a layup by Johnson and two dunks by Alex Poythress ignited a 28-7 run that buried Buffalo.

The Bulls held a surprising 38-33 lead at the half behind the strong shooting of Skeete, who shot poorly last season as he struggled adjusting from moving to shooting guard after playing point guard as a freshman. Buffalo’s highlight of the first half was Moss’ dunk over 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein but, eventually, Kentucky’s depth overwhelmed the Bulls.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
The win was John Calipari’s 499th in his career. … Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley, the former Duke All-American, was booed heavily by the Rupp Arena crowd when he was announced. … Kentucky shot 34.3 percent from the field and committed 10 turnovers in the first half.
Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Kentucky
Jarryn Skeete 16 Scoring Trey Lyles 12
Lamonte Bearden 3 Assists Tyler Ulis 6
Justin Moss 6 Rebounds Dakari Johnson 12
Rodell Wigginton 9 Free Throws Made Devin Booker 4
Raheem Johnson 2 Steals Devin Booker 2
Xavier Ford 2 Blocks Dakari Johnson 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Buffalo 52 34.8 4-12 16-21 5 22 3 5 17
Kentucky 71 41.0 6-20 15-23 17 43 7 10 14