By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Word came before Kentucky's game Monday at U.S. Bank Arena that the coaches in the ESPN/USA Today poll had jumped the Wildcats to No. 3.

Marshall then preceded to play as if it were No. 4.

The Wildcats, ranked ninth by the Associated Press, had to endure numerous Thundering Herd charges before pulling away late for an 89-76 victory.

Marshall (1-2), which lost two of its top three scorers from a 14-15 team and has just 10 scholarship players, made 10 3-pointers and held its own physically in a back-and-forth second half.

For the second straight game, UK (3-0) placed five scorers in double figures, led by Gerald Fitch's 24 points.

UK's Erik Daniels jams one home. (Craig Ruttle photo)

Marshall's last push came when it closed within six points with 4:44 left. It missed two shot attempts that could have closed the gap, including an A.W. Hamilton 3-point try.

Then UK managed scores on three straight possessions: a Fitch 16-footer, a Fitch bank shot off a Cliff Hawkins feed, and an Erik Daniels basket. That made it 88-76 with 1:38 left, ending any remaining suspense.

Ronny Dawn, a Marshall junior guard from Newport Central Catholic, scored a career-high 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting. His seven 3-pointers in nine attempts were also a career high, and he added three assists and three rebounds.

The other homecoming kid, UK's Daniels (Princeton), totaled 14 points, four assists and three rebounds.

UK shot 48.6 percent and had 17 assists with just nine turnovers. Marshall shot 45.2 percent but had 18 turnovers.

UK held a 15-point lead shortly after halftime. Yet a 19-9 Marshall run brought it within four points at 64-60, and the Thundering Herd had the ball with a chance to make it a one-possession game.

Marshall's Ronny Dawn gets set to pass around UK's Gerald Fitch. (Craig Ruttle photo)

But a Marshall entry pass got knocked away, and UK came down and fed Kelenna Azubuike for a dunk. Then Hawkins had a steal and drove for a layup. That started a 13-4 run that pushed the lead back to 13 points.

Daniels has had big games before in Cincinnati. He scored 19 points as a freshman against Jacksonville State, then last year he totaled 14 points and six rebounds - including a critical basket with a minute left - in a close victory over Ohio.

UK has struggled in some of these Cincinnati games. It lost to Dayton in 1999 and had two narrow victories over Ohio.

The Wildcats next play Saturday against UCLA in Anaheim, Calif.

NOTES: Tubby Smith coached his 400th game Monday. He is 291-109 (.728). ... Equipment manager Bill "Mr. Wildcat" Keightley witnessed his 1,000th UK victory. In his 43 seasons with the team, UK is 1,000-304 (.769).

MARSHALL (1-2)-Black 6-11 4-4 16, Patton 2-4 3-4 7, Hamilton 1-6 0-0 2, Dawn 8-10 0-0 23, Whitted 3-9 2-2 10, Smith 1-8 0-0 2, Bunch 1-3 0-0 3, Anderson 4-6 1-1 9, Armpalu 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 28-62 10-11 76.

KENTUCKY (3-0)-Daniels 7-14 0-2 14, Hayes 2-10 5-6 9, Azubuike 6-11 4-6 16, Hawkins 3-6 4-4 10, Fitch 10-19 0-0 24, Stockton 1-2 0-0 3, Obrzut 0-1 0-0 0, Cote 1-1 0-0 2, Barbour 5-8 1-2 11. Totals 35-72 14-20 89.

Halftime-Kentucky 47, Marshall 34. 3-Point goals-Marshall 10-22 (Dawn 7-9, Whitted 2-3, Bunch 1-1, Patton 0-1, Hamilton 0-3, Smith 0-5), Kentucky 5-18 (Fitch 4-10, Stockton 1-2, Hayes 0-1, Azubuike 0-1, Hawkins 0-2, Barbour 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Marshall 31 (Black 10), Kentucky 39 (Hayes 12). Assists-Marshall 19 (Hamilton 7), Kentucky 17 (Hawkins 7). Atttendance-13,913.