By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The hometown kids didn't disappoint Saturday at U.S. Bank Arena.

Brandon Hunter (Withrow) and Steve Esterkamp (La Salle) each scored 18 points for Ohio, and Erik Daniels (Princeton) counted the game's biggest basket among his 14 points for Kentucky.

Daniels had three dunks, but it was his putback of his missed dunk with 33.5 seconds left that extended a three-point Wildcats lead to five. Kentucky won 83-75.

Daniels had more than 60 friends and family members present, and he dedicated the game to his grandmother, Louise Daniels, who died Thursday.

"She was one of my biggest fans," he said. "One of the last things she told me was to go play hard for her. And it felt real good to play well in front of my friends and family."

Hunter was 0-for-5 at halftime, but he had 15 of his points and 12 of his 16 rebounds in the second half.

"I got a little excited in the first half," he said. "Early in the second half, I made a couple of easy shots and got myself going."

UK players were effusive in their praise of Hunter. Chuck Hayes called Hunter the strongest player he had ever faced.

"He's a beast," Hayes said.

Hunter said he was disappointed with his 6-of-19 shooting. Esterkamp was 7-of-11, including 4-of-5 on 3-pointers.

"You've got nerves, because you think about playing at home," Esterkamp said. "But as soon as I hit that first shot, I didn't think about anything else."

IN PERSPECTIVE: Ohio coach Tim O'Shea didn't make much of a fuss when asked if a foul should have been called on UK's Marquis Estill when Hunter drove to the basket in the final minute.

"You get in trouble when you talk about officials," he said. "I hadn't seen any of those guys before.

"You don't expect a great whistle when you go on the road. That's why we get a big check for coming in here. We're supposed to keep the bus running and do our part."

O'Shea wasn't troubled by the loss, citing how Ball State had beaten Kansas and UCLA in a 23-victory season last winter, yet still didn't get an NCAA Tournament invitation.

"Essentially, I come from a one-bid conference," he said. "So anything I can do to make my team tougher, to get ready for March ... that's what's most important."

UP NEXT: UK visits Tennessee (6-2) in its Southeastern Conference opener at 8 p.m. Wednesday.