LEXINGTON, Ky. _ What problem making three-point shots?
What problem grabbing offensive rebounds?
What problem with crunching mid-major opponents?
Kentucky's early-season issues were absent from Rupp Arena on Sunday night. The Cats made threes, hit the offensive glass and crunched Lamar 81-56.
UK, which improved to 5-1, made 10 of 22 three-point shots. That came six nights after making only one against Utah Valley. It was also two nights after Mount St. Mary's Coach Dan Engelstad said his team's game plan was to turn UK into a team of jump shooters.
"That's good," Ashton Hagans said when asked about Mount St. Mary's plan. "Just keep shooting 'em. They're going to fall somehow some way."
That echoing of the Marshall Crenshaw song "Someday Someway" was realized against Lamar.
Tyrese Maxey led the way. He made four of six threes in a 21-point night.
As for rebounding, UK bested Lamar 41-34. Nick Richards grabbed a season-high 13 boards.
Kentucky had nine offensive rebounds, three more than the six against Mount St. Mary's that prompted Coach John Calipari to say more offensive rebounding would lead to more playing time.
Kentucky also blocked 13 shots, which tied for the fourth-most by a UK team in Calipari's 11 seasons as coach. Richards had a career-high seven blocks himself. That tied for the seventh-most blocks by a UK player in Calipari's time as coach.
Ashton Hagans chipped in 15 points, while Immanuel Quickley added 11.
The opening half saw Kentucky make a season-high seven three-pointers inside the first 16 minutes.
UK made its first three from long distance. That exceeded the total number of threes the Cats had made in two earlier games (two against Eastern Kentucky, one against Utah Valley). Of more immediate concern, the early sharpshooting enabled UK to zoom to a 15-2 lead barely five minutes into the game.
Expectations of an early knockout disappeared when Lamar's Davion Buster got hot. The 5-foot-10 sophomore hit threes on back-to-back possessions helping the Cardinals scored 10 straight points. He led Lamar with 19 points.
Lamar tied it at 19-all. Then Kentucky took another turn making long shots.
Maxey gave UK the lead to good with the first of his four three-pointers in the first half. His three with 5:15 left enabled Kentucky to equal the season-high of six made against Michigan State and Mount St. Mary's.
The seventh _ again by Maxey _ came with 4:12 left in the first half. It was part of a 20-0 run that put Kentucky ahead 39-19.
UK also answered Calipari's call for more offensive rebounding. The Cats grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the first half. That was one more than UK had in Friday's game against Mount St. Mary's.
Meanwhile, Kentucky defended. Lamar went scoreless for more than seven minutes down the stretch of the first half, and had only two baskets in the final 11:11.
As the second half began, Kentucky did not back off. Hagans hit a three-pointer on the first possession _ UK's eighth of the game _ to put the lead at 44-21.
Less than two minutes later, Richards dunked off a lob from _ surprise _ Maxey, not his seemingly telepathic partner, Hagans. That dunk put UK ahead 48-23 with 17:10 left.
Lamar got no closer than 14 points of Kentucky thereafter.
