No. 19 Kentucky 88, Samford 56: Archie Goodwin scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half as the host Wildcats emphatically snapped a two-game losing skid by breezing past the Bulldogs.

Fellow freshmen Alex Poythress and Nerlens Noel combined to go 11-for-11 from the field in the first half. Poythress finished with 16 points and eight rebounds and Noel added 13 points for Kentucky (5-3), which rebounded after seeing its 55-game home winning streak come to an end versus Baylor on Saturday.

The Wildcats got out of the blocks in a hurry, scoring the game's first seven points before increasing their lead to 21-3 after Noel's steal and thunderous dunk.

Noel added five of his team's next seven points as Kentucky eventually extended its advantage to 45-14 at intermission. Samford (2-8) scored the first nine points of the second half, but the outcome was never truly in doubt as the Wildcats finished with six players in double figures.

Raijon Kelly had 14 points and Clide Geffrard Jr. added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Bulldogs, who have dropped seven of their last eight.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Kentucky received an oral commitment from prized recruit Karl Towns Jr. The 7-foot sharp-shooting center, who plays for St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.), reclassified to 2014 in order to accelerate his college arrival. ... While Poythress and Noel were perfect in the first half, the remainder of their teammates were far from it. They shot 6-for-21 in the opening stanza. ... Samford shot 4-for-20 from the field and committed 14 turnovers in the first half.