was considered the nations No. 1 running ba

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Pleased as Kentucky coach John Calipari was by last weeks performance on the national stage, he seemed more encouraged by the second-ranked Wildcats encore that figures to raise their profile even more.DeAaron Fox scored 16 points, Malik Monk added 14 and Kentucky took a step toward the nations top ranking by rolling past Duquesne 93-59 on Sunday night.Five days after beating No. 13 Michigan State in New York, the Wildcats (4-0) made their case toward supplanting Duke for No. 1 when the AP Top 25 is announced Monday. The first of several scheduled late-evening starts didnt affect Kentucky as it won by its biggest margin this season.The Wildcats controlled Duquesne (2-3) on both ends, holding the Dukes to a season-low 30 percent shooting while making 35 of 76 attempts (46 percent).One thing I was anxious to see was how would we play, would there be a letdown, Calipari said. I thought we played well and I think Isaiah (Briscoe) kind of dragged them in the first half. ... I thought we played hard. Were still learning each other.Briscoe and Mychal Mulder each had 13 points and Bam Adebayo had 12 with eight rebounds for Kentucky, which out-rebounded Duquesne 49-32 to win its second game of the Bluegrass Showcase. Mulders total was a career high and included three 3-pointers.Were coming together better as the season progresses, Adebayo said.Emile Blackmans 13 points led the Dukes, who lost their third in four games.BIG PICTUREDuquesne: Coming off a one-point loss Friday against Canisius, the Dukes were close at the start but quickly fell behind due to cold shooting. They made just 6 of 29 in the first half (21 percent) and committed 11 of their 18 turnovers as they struggled against the Wildcats disruptive defense and length. They were near even on the boards for a while but eventually beaten there as well.Nothing Kentucky did surprised Duquesne coach Jim Ferry other than its ability to sustain the effort.Its relentless, Ferry said of the Wildcats intensity. Its just so challenging, the size and the length of the guards, how quickly they attack and they play very unselfishly.Kentucky: Seeking to pick up where they left off in an impressive defensive showing against Michigan State, the Wildcats constantly contested the Dukes passes and shots to build a 50-23 lead at the break. They controlled the paint offensively (44-20) and established a season best in rebounding differential.POLL IMPLICATIONSTop-ranked Dukes loss to No. 7 Kansas at Madison Square Garden opened the door for Kentucky to assume the top spot, and the Wildcats made it a foregone conclusion with their easy victory over the Dukes.RELOADINGEarlier Sunday, Kentucky announced the signings of 2017 recruits Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Quade Green -both guards -- along with center Nick Richards and forward P.J. Washington. All are rated as four- or five-star prospects by recruiting services, which of course is a familiar story in Lexington.RUPP MILESTONECalipari improved to 122-4 at Rupp Arena and tied Joe B. Halls record for most wins at the venue. Ferry drew a laugh when he remarked, He lost four? and Calipari said Yaaaay when told of the achievement before noting what visitors face when playing there.Its a hard place to win if youre an opponent and the fans make it that way, he said. I walked in today, 9 oclock on a Sunday night, we were missing some students but other than that, the place was packed. Are you kidding me?Attendance was 21,327.UP NEXTDuquesne: The Dukes host UT Martin on Wednesday night as they continue play in the Bluegrass Showcase.Kentucky: Hosts Cleveland State in a Wednesday matinee before Thanksgiving. Johnny Oates Rangers Jersey Jim Sundberg Rangers Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. https://www.cheaprangersbaseball.com/2332h-jonathan-hernandez-jersey-rangers.html . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. Lenny Randle Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Bartolo Colon Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. HARVEY, La. -- A road rage incident possibly sparked by a driver cutting off another on a nearby bridge spiraled into a shooting that left an ex-NFL player dead, authorities said, amid criticism the shooter was allowed to go free.Joe McKnight, 28, was shot Thursday afternoon in Terrytown, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. Authorities identified Ronald Gasser, 54, as the shooter and released him overnight.At a news conference Friday, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said the altercation started on a nearby bridge and proceeded into the New Orleans suburb.Witnesses reported hearing rapid gunfire after the two men were in a heated argument.Normand said Gasser shot McKnight three times from inside his car while McKnight stood outside and then gave his handgun to deputies when they arrived at the scene soon afterward. No weapon was found on or near McKnights body, authorities said.No charges have been filed, and some have criticized the sheriff for releasing Gasser.Morris Reed Sr., president of the New Orleans branch of the NAACP, was part of a small group of protesters outside the sheriffs office Friday. He said they would ask the Department of Justice to open an independent investigation into the shooting.Until someone is charged with a crime, justice is not served, he said on local media.Dozens of people gathered at the scene of the shooting Friday night, holding hands in prayer and lighting candles. One woman held a sign saying This is murder.Normand defended his handling of the case, saying they would investigate thoroughly. Speaking of Gassers release, the sheriff said the state has certain statutes that provide a defense to certain crimes but did not go into detail.Normand rejected accounts in local media speculating about the shooting. He said theres no video of the incident and Gasser did not stand over McKnight, firing. Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich said McKnights three wounds were not consistent with being shot from above.When asked whether the states stand your ground law will play a role, Normand said: It is one of the issues that looms on the horizon, before saying he didnt want to give an opinion.Stand your ground laws give people wide latitude to use deadly force when they believe they are in danger. Dane Ciolino, a Loyola University law professor in New Orleans, says under such laws people engaged in lawful activity in a place where they have a lawful right to be, dont have to retreat.He said it ... boils down to whether the killing is necessary for this man to save his life.But news that Gasser has been involved in a similar altercation -- at the same intersection -- with a driver a decade ago will likely raise further questions about who was the aggressor.Normand said in a press release late Friday that in February 2006, a man obseerved a truck driving erratically and called a number on the truck, speaking to a man later identified as Gasser.ddddddddddddGasser and the man got into a fight on the phone and then Gasser followed the man to a service station, confronted him and hit him several times. Gasser drove away and the victim called 911.Investigators found Gasser and issued a misdemeanor summons for simple battery, which was later dismissed. Authorities said they are trying to determine why it was dismissed.McKnights grandmother, Barbara Franklin, said relatives are trying to find out our own selves just what happened and why Gasser was released.He might be released now, but God is going to bring about justice in it, she said by phone.McKnights death was eerily similar to that of former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith who was killed last April in a shooting sparked by a traffic altercation.The man accused of shooting Smith goes on trial Monday in New Orleans. The discrepancy in how the two shooters were treated stood out for Kawanee Holmes, of Gretna, Louisiana who came to the intersection where McKnight was shot to leave balloons and flowers with a friend.It wasnt justified what he did. He could have defused the situation by driving away, Holmes said.McKnight is black and Gasser is white, authorities said. Normand denied race played a role, pointing out that the man who raised McKnight used to be a sheriffs deputy and many people in the department are close to his family.McKnight played three seasons for the New York Jets and one with the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent this season in the Canadian Football League. He was considered the nations No. 1 running back recruit when he came out of Louisiana in 2006 and signed with the University of Southern California.Former teammates in New York remembered McKnight fondly.I enjoyed the time when he was here and getting to know him as a person. I think its going to hurt his son the most and thats what is really bothering me -- knowing that a kid will have to grow up without his dad, said Muhammad Wilkerson.The Jets plan a moment of silence before Mondays game to honor McKnight.Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll coached McKnight at USC and said he had talked with McKnight just three weeks ago in California.He had a great heart, he was a great kid, he was fun to be around, fun loving but you just knew he had a lot of stuff to overcome and he was making it, Carroll said. Were going to miss him greatly, Carroll said.---Associated Press reporters Jeff Amy in Jackson, Mississippi, Dennis Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, New Jersey, and Tim Booth contributed to this report.---Follow Rebecca Santana on Twitter (at)ruskygal. ' ' '