Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein goes up for a shot during an NCAA Tournament game vs. Hampton on Thursday. (Getty)
Final Score
Kentucky Wildcats — 41 – 38 — 79
Hampton Pirates — 22 – 34 — 56
Kentucky started slowly, but then regrouped and ran away from Hampton 79-56 Thursday night.
Karl Anthony-Towns had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the top-seeded Wildcats, which overcame a slow shooting start to improve to 35-0.
UK will next meet No. 8 Cincinnati, which beat No. 9 Purdue 66-65 in overtime in their Midwest Region game.
Quinton Chievous led the Pirates with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
For a complete boxscore, click here.
Live Game Updates
Second Half Notes
– Hampton was shooting just 3 of 16 from the floor when the second official timeout came with 11:12 left.
– Kentucky was 9 of 15 shooting in the first 9 minutes of the second half.
– UK started the second half on an 8-2 run, forcing Hampton to use a timeout less than 3 minutes in.
First Half Notes
– Kentucky shot 14 of 32 (43.8 percent) and Hampton was 8 for 29 (27.6 percent) in the first half.
– Each team made only 1 3-pointer apiece; Hampton 1 of 8, Kentucky 1 of 6.
– UK outrebounded Hampton 25-19.
– The Pirates committed 13 fouls and 7 turnovers, the Wildcats 8 and 3.
– Kentucky had 8 assists, while Hampton had just 1.
– Hampton kept it close for the first 12 minutes or so before UK pulled away.
Leading Scorers & Stats
Kentucky
Karl-Anthony Towns – 21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks
Andrew Harrison – 14 points
Tyler Ulis – 11 points, 3 assists, 3 steals
Trey Lyles – 10 points, 6 rebounds
Willie Cauley-Stein – 7 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
Hampton
Quinton Chievous – 22 points, 10 rebounds
Brian Darden – 9 points
Reginald Johnson – 9 points, 5 steals
Preview: Kentucky Looks to Stay Perfect In the NCAA Tournament
Kentucky is looking to make history.
So is Hampton.
The Wildcats are 34-0 and looking to become the first team complete a season undefeated since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers accomplished the feat.
The Pirates, who defeated Manhattan 74-64 in a First Four game on Tuesday, are hoping to become the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1.
Easier said than done.
The Wildcats haven’t been challenged for much of the season, while Hampton’s win over the Jaspers finally got them to the .500 mark (17-17).
Keep it here for live updates throughout the game.