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De’Aaron Fox gets a double-double, sets records plus boxscore and other notes

De’Aaron Fox’s 12 assists set a new standard for a season opener breaking Dirk Minnefield’s mark of 11 vs. Butler on Nov. 27, 1982.

Go here for boxscore.

  • With the win in the season lidlifter, Kentucky is 1-0 and is 0-1
  • The meeting between the two teams was the first in the series
  • Kentucky will return to action on Sunday, hosting Canisius at 6 p.m. ET in Rupp Arena. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and will be available on the radio on the UK Sports Radio Network

Team Notes

  • With 2,206 all-time wins, Kentucky is the nation's leader
  • Kentucky is 95-19 all-time in season openers, including an 8-0 record under
  • Calipari has a 621-185 all-time on-court record, including a 218-47 mark at UK
  • UK has a 547-64 all-time record at historic Rupp Arena
    • UK has won 203 of its last 230 home games
    • UK is 120-4 at Rupp Arena under Calipari
    • The Cats are in a 38-game winning streak in the arena
  • The Wildcats have made a 3-pointer in 976 consecutive games, the longest streak in the nation
  • Kentucky opened with the lineup of , , De'Aaron Fox, and Derek Wills
  • The Wildcats were outrebounded by a 36-28 margin but won points in the paint (38-28) and points off turnovers (32-14)
  • Kentucky shot 50 percent from the floor, connecting on 31 of 62 shots
  • Nine Wildcats scored in the game, including five who reached double-figures
  • UK shared the ball well, assisting 21 times on 31 made field goals

First-Half Facts

  • Kentucky led 48-32 at the break, shooting 50 percent from the field
  • The Lumberjacks took a 3-2 lead, but Kentucky rebounded immediately with a traditional 3-point play from Willis to take a lead it would not yield the remainder of the half
  • UK took its largest lead of the half with 16-point advantage at the break when Dominique Hawkins connected with for a dunk with one second on the clock

 Second Half Story

  • A 3-pointer by Willis at the 14:12 mark of the second half pushed UK's lead to 25 points
  • The margin stretched to 27 points with 4:58 remaining with an Adebayo free throw
  • The Wildcats remained consistent, connecting on 50 percent of its shots from the field in the second half – the same clip as in the opening 20 minutes

Player Notes  

  • Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe led the team in scoring with 17 points. He added a pair of assists
    • He made his team-leading 25th consecutive start
    • It was the 20th time in his career he registered 10 or more points
  • Freshman De'Aaron Fox registered a double-double with 12 points and 12 assists. He also opened the 2016-17 season scoring with a pair of free throws with less than a minute played in the game
    • Fox's 12 assists set a new standard for a season opener (with assist records dating back to the 1971-72 season), breaking Dirk Minnefield's mark of 11 vs. Butler on Nov. 27, 1982
    • It's also the most assists in a Kentucky debut, topping 's record of 10 vs. Southern Miss on Nov. 26, 1977. Assist records began being kept in the 1971-72 season
    • Fox joins four Wildcats under John Calipari to debut with a double-double – and the first in a points-assists variety. Terrence Jones, Julius Randle and Briscoe were the others
    • UK's freshman point guard also had a team-high three steals
  • Freshman Wenyen Gabriel connected on his first five shot attempts for 10 first-half points.
  • Sophomore had nine points and a team-high eight rebounds
    • Humphries also added a team-high and career-best three steals, while also swatting a team-best three blocked shots
  • Senior Mychal Mulder drained a 3-pointer with 6:32 remaining in the first half to extend UK's nation-leading total games with a made 3-pointer
    • He finished the game with a career-high eight points
  • Senior , who a season ago began his junior year with a then career-high 14 points, tallied 15 total points on opening night
    • He reached double-digits less than five minutes into the game. The scoring splurge was highlighted be a pair of traditional 3-point plays
    • Tied Humphries for the most blocks with three
    • It was the 12th time in his career he reached double-figure scoring
  • Sophomore Tai Wynyard and freshman made their collegiate debuts

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