From the Associated Press
LOUISVILLE – Kentucky Mr. Basketball Darius Miller scored 13 points and sparked a second-half spurt to lead his team to a 95-78 win June 15 over the Indiana All-Stars and end an eight-game losing skid in the annual summer series. It was a big turnaround in front of approximately 2,000 fans at Louisville Gardens for Kentucky, which blew an 11-point lead in losing to Indiana, 83-82, Friday night at Conseco Fieldhouse.
On the girls side, five players scored in double figures to lead the Kentucky girls to a record 101-62 victory over their Indiana counterparts in the second game of the annual home-and-home series. Sunday’s win marked the first girls sweep by Kentucky since 1991, the same year as its previously largest win in the series (84-60).
Miller was one of five boys players in double figures for Kentucky, which shot 45 percent (31 of 69) from the field, including 43 percent (6 of 14) from 3-point range in the first half to lead 51-38 at intermission.
Tyler Brown, a 6’2” guard, led Kentucky with 19 points and hit five of his six 3-pointers, all in the first half.
Larry Stone led Indiana with 24 points, while 7-foot Mr. Basketball Tyler Zeller added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
”They’ve got a lot of weapons – that’s definitely one of the more-talented Kentucky teams in some time, especially when they shoot the basketball like that,” said Indiana coach Rick Baumgartner.
Shelvin Mack, who led Kentucky with 24 points in the first game, scored 16 in this one, as did Victor Moses.
Miller, the 6’7” forward from Mason County who is headed to the University of Kentucky, was just 2 of 8 from the field but hit nine of 11 free throws. He also added nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals with only one turnover.
Kentucky, which had 29 turnovers in the first game, had 15 on Sunday.
”It’s a great feeling – I’m glad we came out and represented Kentucky well,” Miller said. “I think it was mostly us taking care of the ball. We didn’t panic with it and didn’t make bad decisions with it.”
With Kentucky leading 69-60 almost midway through the second half, Miller scored on a three-point play, hit two free throws, and assisted a basket as Kentucky surged ahead 79-60 with a little more than eight minutes remaining in the game.
Kentucky made 15 of 19 free throws, compared with Indiana’s 4 of 5. Indiana also had 12 turnovers, which Kentucky converted into 15 points.
Indiana went inside to Zeller to start the second half. A turnaround by the North Carolina-bound McDonald’s All-American with 14:02 to play pulled Indiana within 62-54. But that’s as close as Indiana would get as Miller fueled the 10-0 spurt.
Indiana girls endure horrid shooting in record 39-point loss
Aside from the record margin of defeat for Indiana’s girls, it was also a record point total for Kentucky, whose previous best was 98 in 1990. For awhile, it looked like it might be a shutout, too.
Kentucky scored the game’s first 18 points, seven by Miss Basketball Tia Gibbs.
“We proved tonight we might be the best class ever in Kentucky,” said Gibbs, the Butler High School standout who finished with 12 points.
Monique Reid from Fern Creek led Kentucky with 16 points, while Janae Howard of Owensboro added 15.
“Obviously we’re thrilled with the sweep,” said Kentucky coach Sally Zimmerman.
Indiana Miss Basketball Brittany Rayburn of Attica led her team with 12 points, all in the second half. The Purdue signee was just 2 of 15 from the field and didn’t hit her first field goal until 5:56 remained in the game.
Rayburn’s shooting struggles were mirrored by her team as Indiana made just 23 percent (17 of 75) of its field goal attempts.
Kentucky outrebounded Indiana 67-44, turned 25 Indiana turnovers into 29 points, and went 9 of 14 from beyond the arc.
“They came out hot, shooting 64 percent from 3-point range,” said Indiana coach Kem Zolman. “You can’t do that in a game of H-O-R-S-E.”
Indiana, which lost Friday’s game in Indianapolis 76-59, missed its first 14 shots and went scoreless until Lebanon’s Maggie Boyer’s two free throws with 14:57 left in the first half. Indiana’s first field goal came with 12:28 to play in the half.
Behind 10 points apiece from Gibbs and Reid, Kentucky led 45-19 at halftime thanks to 14-percent shooting (5 of 36) by Indiana.
Indiana, which had won 26 of the previous 32 meetings in the series coming into this year, played both games without Tennessee signee Briana Bass, who was out with a knee injury.
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