Meeks, Patterson lead UK to 99-64 victory

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Jodie Meeks had a game-high 34 points, including 27 in the first half, and Patrick Patterson chipped in with 21 to lead Kentucky to a 99-64 exhibition win over Pikeville College. UK shot a blistering 62% from the field, including 11-21 (52%) on 3-point attempts for the contest.

The Cats spurted to a 29-9 lead midway through the first half, and were never challenged in the contest. The game featured a high level of intensity from the Wildcat players, as well as unselfish play, as the Cats dished 25 assists in the game--a mark that was never reached last season.

Despite the positives, Coach Billy Gillispie, representing the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time in game action, had mixed feelings about the game. "They made a ton of mistakes, but they played extremely hard," Gillispie acknowledged. "I thought they played very, very well together for the most part. We’re not in great shape – game condition – and we kind of wore out there at the end of the first half, but I thought they did a lot of good things tonight for their first time out there.”

Some of those good things included Meeks' game-high 34 points, the Cats' stellar shooting overall, and the play of Patterson, who added nine rebounds to go along with his 21 points. Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley joined Meeks and Patterson in double digit scoring with 15 each. Bradley just missed a double-double, adding nine assists from his lead guard position as well. Perry Stevenson also added nine points, with no other Wildcat scoring more than three.

Kentucky will play its second exhibition game of the season Saturday against Seattle. Tipoff is scheduled at 8:00 p.m.