LEXINGTON, Ky. – Freshman Adam Leonard hit six three-pointers and finished with a career-high 20 points, but it wasn't enough as Kentucky held off the Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball team, 78-65, Saturday afternoon in Rupp Arena. Kentucky (10-3) has now won six straight games while the Colonels (8-4) fall to 5-3 in non-conference contests.

Leonard went 6-for-6 from behind the arc, falling just one three-pointer shy of tying Eastern's single-game record. Meanwhile, Lexington native Darnell Dialls equaled his season high with 15 points on 60 percent (6-of-10) shooting.

For Kentucky, center Randolph Morris led all players in points (25) and rebounds (10) for his fourth double-double of the season. Ramel Bradley connected on four three-pointers in the second half to keep the Colonels at bay and finished with 20 points.

Eastern started slowly out of the gates, turning the ball over on its first four possessions. However, an 11-2 run sparked by two three-pointers from sophomore Mike Rose gave the Colonels an 11-8 advantage. A pair of Leonard three-pointers later in the half kept the score knotted at 21-all. Kentucky lay-ups on its next three possessions put the Wildcats ahead, 28-21, before UK took a 34-28 lead into intermission.

An 8-2 run to start the second half allowed the Colonels to even the contest for the third time at 36-all. Kentucky then hit its first three-pointer of the game to jump back on top, 43-39, with 16:14 remaining. Three-pointers by Bradley and Joe Crawford a few minutes later enabled the Wildcats to establish their first double-digit lead, 57-46.

Kentucky eventually stretched its cushion to 13 points, 66-53, only to see the Colonels make one last charge. A pair of buckets by Dialls and a Josh Daniel trifecta slashed the deficit to six, 68-62, with 4:07 showing on the clock. The Wildcats finally ended any thoughts of an EKU upset by going on a 10-1 run over the ensuing three minutes.

This was the first meeting between the two programs since the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Kentucky has now won all 10 meetings between the in-state schools.

Eastern Kentucky begins the New Year with a home game against OVC foe Southeast Missouri on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Tip time is slated for 7:30 p.m.