Koby Brea scored 23 points and hit seven 3-pointers off the bench to lead No. 10 Kentucky over No. 6 Florida, 106-100, on Saturday, handing the Gators their first loss of the season.
The Gators (13-1, 0-1 SEC) had cut an 80-69 Kentucky lead to 89-87 on Walter Clayton Jr.‘s free throws with 4:40 remaining, but Lamont Butler hit a 3 as the shot clock wound down and added two free throws to help the Wildcats (12-2, 1-0) hang on.
Clayton scored 33 points, 12 of those in Florida’s 18-9 run before Butler’s 3 with 3:42 left. Alijah Martin scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half to rally Florida after Kentucky took a 52-42 halftime lead.
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Butler finished with 19 points and eight assists as Kentucky placed six players in double digits.
Takeaways
Florida: The Gators used offensive rebounding to take an early lead in the game and then battle their way back in the second half. They had 15 offensive rebounds leading to 31 second chance points.
Kentucky: In the first 10 minutes, Kentucky was outrebounded 12-2 and trailed 20-11. Over the rest of the first half, Kentucky held a 16-9 rebounding edge and a 10-point halftime lead.
Key moment
Florida had cut the Kentucky lead to one at 70-69 when coach Todd Golden took a 30-second timeout. The Wildcats scored the next 10 points.
Key stat
Florida had held its previous four opponents to 20% shooting on 3-pointers, giving up about five 3s per game. Kentucky shot 48% and made 14 3s.
Up next
Both teams play Tuesday night: Florida hosts top-ranked Tennessee while Kentucky goes on the road to Georgia.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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