WINDSOR, Ont. - Despite only being together as a team for six practices, the Western Mustangs gave the Kentucky Wildcats a test early before running out of steam in the second half.
Western fell 96-68 to the NCAA powerhouse Wildcats at the St. Denis Centre on Monday night in front of a near capacity crowd of over 2,200.
Adam Jespersen (London, Ont.) led the Mustangs with 21 points and added 9 rebounds. Andy Wedemire of Sarnia added 18 points and six rebounds.
Freshman guard Doron Lamb of Queens, New York, led Kentucky with 24 points, three rebounds, four assists and four steals. Junior Kentucky guuard Darius Miller of Maysville, Ky., had 20 points, five blocks and five steals. He is the only returning Wildcats starter.
BOX SCORE
Western outscored by 17 points in the second half.
"We learned today we cannot give up," Wedemire said.
Despite leading twice in the game, Western ran out of gas in the second half. They looked promising at times against a perennial NCAA powerhouse.
"We're really excited about our team this year," said Mustangs head coach Bradley Campbell. "We've only had six practices and our rookies lack experience. We did some things weel. But when Kentucky's defensive intensity came on, our execution fell apart."
Campbell said he was happy with the high level of competition and that his squad will take away many lessons from this game.
"With seeing a team play for a full 40 minutes... Kentucky did that and we learned a great lesson for our players. We preach it day in and day out at Western," Campbell added. "Along with Windsor, I think we will challenge for our league title."
After Kentucky dominated the opening three minutes - thanks in large part to full-court pressure - Western settled and took a lead just over six minutes into the game, going on a 7-0 run to lead by one point, 13-12.
The Wildcats showed excellent speed in transition and made smart decisions in the half-court. Western gained the lead twice in see-saw action midway through the opening half, but the Wildcats went on a 9-2 run over a 90-second span to regain control with just under six minutes left.
Kentucky led 48-37 at the break paced by 13 points from Miller and a six-point run to close out the half.
Early in the second half, Kentucky stretched the lead to 20 points using a blend of effective outside shooting and reliable strokes from the charity stripe.
In all, Kentucky outscored Western 48-31 in the final half and showed why they continue to consistently enjoy high rankings in the U.S.
"It was good for us," said Mustangs senior guard Ryan Barbeau of Belleville, Ont., who finished with nine points and seven assists. "Our young guys got to get into a game and we saw how we have to improve overall defensively. It was good for us."
Western will now take the next five weeks off before hosting St. Clair College on Wednesday Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at Alumni Hall.
The Mustangs, which finished 12-10 in the regular season in 2009-10, open their regular season on the road in early November with their home opener going on Friday Nov. 12 against the Ryerson Rams at 8 p.m. at Alumni Hall.
Kentucky's Canadian Exhibition Tour
Aug. 15: Kentucky 95 Windsor 62
Aug. 16: Kentucky 96 Western 68
Aug. 17: Kentucky at Windsor, 11 a.m.
NOTES: About 1,000 fans from Kentucky were lined up outside of the St. Denis Centre more than an hour and a half before the game... John Calipari just addressed the crowd at centre court with a wireless mic thanking fans for making the trip - especially those from a far away including some from Alaska and Florida... Over 20 media travelled to cover the Kentucky series in Windsor.
REMINDER: Western's women host IUPUI Jaguars (NCAA Div. 1) at 7 p.m. tomorrow night, Aug. 17, at Alumni Hall and again on Aug. 18 at 4 p.m.
