Kentucky’s Meeks scores school-record 54 points
. -- Jodie Meeks was just trying to get a victory. He didn’t fathom having a chance at earning a spot among Kentucky’s greatest players.
Meeks scored a school-record 54 points to help Kentucky cruise to a 90-72 win over No. 24 Tennessee on Tuesday.
“It means a lot to be in the same sentence as Dan Issel. It’s mind-boggling,” he said. “I was just out there playing to win.”
Meeks, who broke Issel’s 39-year-old record of 53 points set at Mississippi, was mobbed by his Kentucky teammates.
The Southeastern Conference’s leading scorer surpassed his previous high of 46 points, which he set Dec. 20 against Appalachian State, with 4:50 left as he hit an open three-point basket, one of 10 three-pointers he made. He set the record with free throws with 1:31 left.
Meeks entered ranked fourth in the nation in scoring with an average of 24.2 points.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie said.
The 54 points was also the biggest individual SEC performance since Chris Jackson’s 55 for Louisiana State against Mississippi in 1989.
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