- Friday, February 26 1926 -
Southern Conference Tournament (at Atlanta, GA)
Kentucky - 32 (Head Coach: Ray Eklund)
| Player | FG | FT | FTA | PF | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James McFarland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Gayle Mohney | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Lovell Underwood | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Paul Jenkins | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 15 |
| Burgess Carey | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Charles Alberts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Henry Besuden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arville Hickerson | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 12 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 32 |
Virginia Military - 25 (Head Coach: W.C. Raftery)
| Player | FG | FT | FTA | PF | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| B. Fulkerson | 4 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 11 |
| "Windy" White | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Bellinger | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Mundy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Frost | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| A. Fulkerson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Wolfe | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 10 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 25 |
| Prior Game | | | Next Game |
| Vanderbilt 30 - 20 | | | Georgia 39 - 34 |
Kentucky Wins, 32 to 25, In First Tourney Game; To Meet Georgia Tonight
ATLANTA, Ga., Feb. 26 -- Kentucky's gallant Wildcats, fighting with the same never-say-die spirit that has characterized their unbroken string of victories over Southern teams, overcame a bad case of stage fright and incidentally a 15 to 8 lead here this afternoon to defeat the Flying Cadets from Virginia Military Institute, 32 to 25, in the first round of the annual Southern Conference championship basketball tournament which started here this afternoon at 1 o'clock.
By defeating the Cadets, the Wildcats went into the second round of the tournament and Saturday night at 8 o'clock will meet Georgia, conquerors of Tennessee, in an attempt to win their way to the semi-finals.
Although Kentucky scored first in the game with V.M.I. today, the team seemed to fall back two steps every time it took one forward in the first few minutes and consequently the Virginians rolled up a commanding lead, to the amazement of the numerous Wildcat fans who are in Atlanta. Near the end of the half, Kentucky regained enough confidence to narrow the gap between the 'Cats and their opponents to 15 to 10.
The Virginians' attack was led in the first half by Captain "Windy" White, of football fame, who looped three beautiful goals from mid-floor. Fulkerson also counted three field goals in the opening period.
Jenkins Puts 'Cats Ahead
Kentucky never took the lead until near the end of the third period, although they had lessened the margin to 20 to 19. Then Paul Jenkins got loose for three neat field goals, sending Kentucky into a permanent lead. Once, near the end of the game, the score stood at 27 to 25 and the Blue and White's chance to advance to the second round seemed seriously menaced, but Mohney began finding the basket and soon the 'Cats again had a safe lead.
On the defense, the Wildcats were much superior to their rivals, and although Captain Carey was finally removed because of fouls, he was the mainstay of the opposition to V.M.I.'s attack. The Blue and White captain committed two fouls in the first half and two more in the second period. His place was filled by Hickerson, who kept up the good guard work.
The work of Paul "Rabbi" Jenkins in the game was eliciting praise from all side in Atlanta tonight, as the teams rested before going into the second round tomorrow. This Louisville boy kept Kentucky in the running by scoring 15 points and also played a lightning fast floor game. Although Gayle Mohney missed four out of seven free throws, he connected with 13 points for the Wildcats and this and Jenkins' 15 constituted the bulk of Kentucky's scoring.
