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Hayes leads Cats to Victory at South BendChuck Hayes scored 21 points and the Wildcats got some much needed help from their bench as they defeated Notre Dame 71-63, improving their record away from Rupp Arena to a perfect 8-0. Kentucky jumped out to an early 13-5 lead with Erik Daniels scoring all 8 of his points during that stretch. They increased their lead to 32-17, as Josh Carrier came off the bench with a pair of three-pointers and freshman Lukasz Obrzut contributed with a jumper of his own. For the game, UK's bench scored 12 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists. While these numbers may not be gaudy, it is the type of production head coach Tubby Smith has been searching for all season. By halftime, Notre Dame had pulled within 10 at 39-29. For the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Cats maintained their advantage, and eventually built a 15-point lead (63-48) with 7:33 remaining. They only scored one point over the next three minutes and the Irish pulled within 8, before Cliff Hawkins spun through the lane and dished to Hayes for a dunk, making the score 66-56. Notre Dame came charging back, however, scoring the next seven points and cutting the lead to 3 with a minute left. The Wildcats preserved the victory by coming up with a couple defensive stops and making free-throws down the stretch.
The Wildcats seemed intent on establishing themselves in the post, as they focused their attack in the paint, attempting only ten 3-pointers. The strategy proved effective as Kentucky shot 53% for the game. Gerald Fitch broke out of his mini-slump, scoring 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Kelenna Azubuike, efficient as always, added 14 points, making 5 of his 7 shot attempts.
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