By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEXINGTON - Kentucky's Gerald Fitch had dubbed this "payback time," but in the end he again was left holding the bill.

He and senior backcourt mate Cliff Hawkins will have a long time to dwell on another missed opportunity against archrival Louisville. After disappointing games as juniors, they again wilted in the stretch.

Fitch, especially, seemed to take this one hard.

"I feel I'm the one that's supposed to make big plays, especially in the clutch," he said Saturday. "I didn't. So I failed."

Fitch was 3-of-12, including 2-of-10 on 3-pointers, for nine points. He had three turnovers. Last season, he was 2-of-10 with four turnovers.

Hawkins had 12 points, but he was 0-of-3 with five turnovers after halftime. Last season he had just two points in 16 minutes against the Cardinals.

"Cliff had that offensive foul (his fourth, with 7:40 remaining), and after that he was out of it," coach Tubby Smith said. "He was done. He might as well not have been on the court after that. It was just awful."

Said Hawkins: "I made bad decisions."

Fitch made one big play, a four-point play with 1:35 left that got UK within two points. But he missed two subsequent 3-point tries. He also was scoreless in the first half.

GARCIA, DEAN RALLY: Louisville coach Rick Pitino ripped into stars Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean at halftime. The two, averaging 32.5 points between them, were scoreless.

"I told them, the guy in the other locker room is a great coach - he's not letting you guys get off - so you have to make plays for other people," Pitino said.

Garcia would score 10 second-half points and Dean five. Garcia also totaled five assists and three blocks.

NAME GAME: Louisville's Alhaji Mohammed, who totaled seven points, three rebounds and two steals Saturday, is the younger brother of former UK player/current Atlanta Hawk Nazr Mohammed.

STOCKTON EMERGES: A bright spot for UK was reserve point guard Brandon Stockton, who had career highs of eight points and 18 minutes.

"I've really worked hard in practice," he said. "I deserved (playing time)."