No. 16 Kentucky blows out Louisville in rivalry game

LOUISVILLE, KY. » Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came off the bench to score a careerhigh 24 points, PJ Washington added 16 and No. 16 Kentucky used several runs to blow out rival Louisville 90-61 Friday in the annual showdown for Bluegrass supremacy.

Seeking to regroup after last week’s 83-75 loss to unranked UCLA, the Wildcats (10-2) used a 20-6 run to close the first half. Their 24-11 surge over 8:41 built a 67-38 lead that eventually reached 32, a gap helped by 57 percent second-half shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished 9 of 16 from the field to top his previous best of 15 points against Monmouth this month. Washington helped with 10 points down the stretch in the first half for a 4127 lead that expanded as Kentucky earned its biggest series win since a 7646 rout in the 1999-2000 season.

Playing its first rivalry game in 16 seasons without coach Rick Pitino, who was fired in October amid a federal bribery investigation of college basketball, Louisville (10-3) couldn’t keep up after the early minutes. The Cardinals shot just 35 percent and had their six-game winning streak stopped. Deng Adel had 13 points.

BIG PICTURE

Louisville: The Cardinals starting with promise, making 5 of 10 shots. They closed the first half missing 11 of 12 and went scoreless for the first 3:05 of the second. Two fouls by 7-footer Anas Mahmoud within 30 seconds forced him to the bench and created a void that Kentucky exploited. He fouled out with 8 minutes left.

Kentucky: The Wildcats were energetic even when shots weren’t falling in the first half, allowing them to rally for a lead they didn’t relinquish. They outrebounded Louisville 44-37 and got 35 bench points. Hamidou Diallo had 14 points and Quade Green 13.

UP NEXT

Louisville: Hosts Pittsburgh on Tuesday in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener.

Kentucky: Opens Southeastern Conference play Sunday against Georgia, seeking its fourth consecutive regular season title.

JAMES CRISP — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (22) shoots while defended by Louisville’s Ryan McMahon (30) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday in Lexington, Ky. Kentucky won 90-61.