(Sports Network) - Freshman John Wall scored 21 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed six rebounds to help fourth-ranked Kentucky cruise to a 92-63 win over Rider at Rupp Arena.

Patrick Patterson totaled 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Wildcats (4-0), while DeMarcus Cousins had 18 points, six boards and recorded five blocks.

"We felt much better about today's game," Wall said. "In practice we watched film and coach showed us where we were making mistakes. They knew coming in we weren't a good defensive team guarding the three so we tried to do better. I think we did a better job today. We were more focused. It's just a learning process for everybody."

Ryan Thompson had 16 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Broncs (2-2), who have dropped two straight after opening the season back-to-back victories over Mississippi State and Lehigh.

"I was proud of the way the kids competed," said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey. "I wouldn't say we did well offensively and we struggled to shoot the ball for the second straight game. We never gave in, we never quit and we worked hard to defend them."

Novar Gadson and Mike Ringgold donated 14 and 12 points, respectively, in defeat.

Kentucky led 16-8 early on after Wall made a free throw to complete a three- point play. Daniel Orton hit a jumper, stretching the advantage to 31-14 with about seven minutes remaining, and the Wildcats took a comfortable 51-26 lead into the break.

The Wildcats maintained a healthy edge, leading 80-50 after a Cousins layup with eight minutes to go. It was smooth sailing the rest of the way for Kentucky.

Game Notes

Wall finished 8-of-12 shooting...Orton scored 14 points, while Eric Bledsoe chipped in 11 points for Kentucky, which shot 51.5 percent from the floor...Rider made 31.0 percent of its shots...The Wildcats improved to 12-0 against teams from the MAAC.





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