Cats roll past Vikings 73-49

Things weren’t quite perfect in paradise for UK as the Cats beat the Cleveland State Vikings 73-49 in Cancun, Mexico, but UK head coach John Calipari had more than just the weather to smile about after the win.

Freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins had 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks as bench players saw plenty of time on the makeshift court set up in the ballroom of the Moon Palace Resort to accommodate for the Cancun Challenge. Cousins even chipped in with a 3-pointer in the win.

Freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins goes for a layup in UK's 92-63 win over Rider on Nov. 21. Staff file photo

Senior forward Perry Stevenson added eight rebounds and freshman forward Daniel Orton had three blocks in the win, which ran the Cats’ record to 5-0. Ten different UK players scored.

Junior forward Patrick Patterson injured his ankle in the win. His status for the final of the Cancun Challenge tomorrow is unclear.

UK shot better than 53 percent from the field and held Cleveland State to 26.2 percent shooting, but the Cats turned the ball over 22 times while registering 15 assists. Freshman guard John Wall had seven assists to go with six turnovers while scoring a game-high 15 points.

Sophomore guard DeAndre Liggins did not play for the Cats. He has yet to clock a single minute for UK this season.

D’Aundray Brown led Cleveland State with 10 points and five rebounds.

UK will face either Stanford or Virginia tomorrow in the conclusion of the Cancun Challenge at 9:30 p.m.