Cats fall to Miami, 73-67

LEXINGTON, Ky -- The # 21 Miami Hurricanes built a 20-point halftime lead, and withstood a determined second-half effort to defeat the Kentucky Wildcats 73-67. The Hurricanes were led by James McClinton and his game-high 23-point effort, while the Wildcats were led by Patrick Patterson's 19 point, 16 rebound performance in a losing cause.

In a contest Miami never trailed, the storyline was both old and new for a Kentucky losing effort. As the Cats have done in all three losses this season, their opponent jumped out to a big lead and the Cats spent most of the game attempting to catch up. But in a twist, the normally sure-firing Wildcats misfired often, shooting a season-low 35.7% from the field, and an abysmal 8.7% from 3-point range. In a twist of fate, the often careless Cats handled the ball better than they have done most of the season, with only 13 turnovers to somewhat compensate for the poor shooting.

Kentucky received a career-high 18 points from freshman Deandre Liggins. UK leading scorer Jodie Meeks was held to just 10 points on 4-17 shooting.

Miami improved to 5-2 on the season, while Kentucky fell to 5-3. The Wildcats will get little time to reflect on the loss, however, as they play Sunday afternoon against Mississippi Valley State.

Read more about the game and discuss the contest with Wildcat fans on the KSR messageboards.