LEXINGTON, Ky. _ Ashton Hagans, the Southeastern Conference's Defensive Player of the Year last season, made a statement Friday night. That statement: He's a good offensive point guard, too.
Hagans equaled a career-high 12 assists in leading Kentucky to a 69-58 victory over UAB.
It was the Cats' sixth victory in seven games.
Hagans continued to demonstrate a symbiosis with big man Nick Richards. The combo clicked six times for baskets. Hagans also found EJ Montgomery twice for scores.
Hagans did not forsake his defensive duties. He led the defense that held UAB's leading scorer, Tavin Lovan, scoreless in the first half. Hagans also had UK's two steals. Lovan, a native of Franklin, Ky., made one of six shots and scored two points.
Hagans' pass-first floor generalship left for another game any fan impulse to fret about Nate Sestina's absence. Two days earlier, UK announced that Sestina, one of three "bigs" on the team, would be sidelined three to four weeks after breaking his left wrist in practice.
"Nate's a big part of rebounding and toughness on our team ...," Kahlil Whitney said Wednesday.
Whitney had looked forward to time in the front court. "Usually guys at the four-spot are bigger than me, slower than me," he said on Wednesday. But he missed the five shots he took.
With Hagans getting credit for eight assists, Kentucky led 38-25 at halftime.
The Hagans-and-Richards connection clicked four times in the first half. It took all of 15 seconds for Hagans to find Richards on the game's first possession for a dunk.
UAB called timeout 58 seconds into the game. The Blazers called another timeout at the 9:56 mark. Neither impacted the game.
Kentucky made 5 of 11 3-point shots in the half. That was more than UK made in three previous games (one against Utah Valley, two against Eastern Kentucky and four against Evansville). It was also one shy of the six UK made against Michigan State and Mount St. Mary's.
The first-half shooting meant UK had made 15 3-point shots in the most recent 60 minutes.
Montgomery, who started in place of Sestina, contributed eight points and six rebounds in the first half. The rebounds equaled the season-high six he grabbed against Mount St. Mary's.
UAB struggled to score throughout the half. The Blazers got next to nothing around the basket (3 for 17 to start the game).
The Hagans-to-Richards connection resumed early in the second half. UK's first two baskets were Richards dunks set up by Hagans. The second put Kentucky ahead 42-31 with 15:21 left. That was Hagans' 10th assist.
The 11th game 48 seconds later. This time Hagans drove into the lane, then passed around a defender to Montgomery at the basket.
A comeback by UAB seemed unlikely, especially with UK eligible to shoot the one-and-one in the final 12:16.
With 10:22, Johnny Juzang made his second shot of the game. That marked the first time the freshman had made more than one shot in a game.
Less than three minutes later, Hagans found Montgomery for a layup. That score _ with 7:57 left _ enabled Hagans to tie his career high for assists. The last time another UK player had 12 assists in a game was De'Aaron Fox against Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 11, 2016.
