Box Score LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky State men's basketball team came out on the wrong side of the scoreboard, but put forth a strong effort against one of the top college basketball teams in the country in a 111-58 loss to No. 1 Kentucky in an exhibition Friday at Rupp Arena.

The Thorobreds may have been at a size disadvantage playing against a team ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division I Coaches' Poll with several likely NBA Draft picks, but they fought valiantly throughout the game.

Kentucky State never led, but kept the game close through the first 10 minutes of play. The Thorobreds trailed just 17-13 at the under-12 timeout and were still within seven at 22-15 after a Johntae Alexander layup at the 9:41 mark. Kentucky took over from that point, however, outscoring the Thorobreds 29-5 over the remainder of the half, including a 22-0 run.

"I'm proud of my guys," said Kentucky State head coach Darnell Williams, who was making his head coaching debut. "They competed until the final horn. One thing about this Kentucky team is that they're very good, both talent-wise, and size-wise. They just have more, and they have it at all five positions. Our guys competed and did what I asked them to do, and we used this as a learning tool. It shows us what we have to do when we go back to practice."

After taking a 51-20 lead to halftime, Kentucky opened the second half on a 20-5 run and continued to pull away. The Wildcats built their lead to 50 points just inside the 10-minute mark, and the Thorobreds played them evenly down the stretch.

Kentucky's size advantage showed in the final numbers, with the Wildcats outrebounding Kentucky State 57-35 and holding a 64-20 edge on points in the paint. Kentucky shot 57 percent (38-of-67) from the field to Kentucky State's 29 percent (20-of-68).

Despite the lopsided score, both teams could take away positives from the game, and there was a general feeling of good will that two schools 25 miles apart with rich basketball histories could get together for the first time since 2001.

"I'm thankful for Kentucky State to be here," said Kentucky head coach John Calipari. "I know those guys enjoyed it, and Coach (Williams) enjoyed it. For us to be able to play a school with the rich history of Kentucky State with what they've been able to do over the years, it's big for our state. It's big for our region."

Williams agreed that it was an exciting opportunity for his team as well as the university, and he expressed interest in playing similar games in the future.

"Campus has been electric," said Williams. "It was a big game, great for Kentucky State University, great for recruiting, not just athletically, but for the school in general. The atmosphere was great, and I love this for my kids. I would love to see more games like this on the schedule. We would play any team, anywhere, and we aren't going to run from anybody."

Preseason All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection Malcolm Smith led Kentucky State with 14 points, while Tryston Ford added nine points. Kentucky placed five players in double figures, led by Skal Labissere with a game-high 22 points and Jamal Murray with 20.

The teams will now look toward their regular season openers, with Kentucky State traveling to take on Wilberforce in the Windy City Classic next Saturday and Kentucky hosting Albany on Friday.