Florida used runs of 11-0 and 13-0 in the first half to stay far enough ahead and hold off Kentucky Basketball 84-77 Saturday at Rupp Arena.
With the loss, Kentucky falls to 19-12 overall and 10-8 in the SEC, and they will now be heading into a Wednesday start at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.
First Half
Florida raced out to an 11-0 lead before you could blink, silencing the Rupp Arena crowd. But these Cats don’t go away quietly. They answered with a 9-0 run of their own, keeping the game close throughout the first
part of the first half.
The Gators, though, unleashed another 13-0 run later in the first half to stretch their lead to 33-19. They just kept coming and making shots. Kentucky, on the other hand, struggled to consistently make shots.
A stunned crowd at Rupp Arena watched as Florida made 11 of their last 13 shots in the first half. Kentucky shot just 37.9 percent from the floor compared to Florida’s 64.3 percent. The Gators were 6-10 from beyond the arc and had 14 assists on 18 made shots.
Otega Oweh had 17 points and four 3-pointers for Kentucky. The Wildcats had just 32 points as a team in the first half.
Thomas Haugh had 17 points for the Gators, including three 3-pointers.
Second Half
Both teams got off to slow starts offensively in the second half. Florida went 2-9, and Kentucky went 2-7. The door was open for the Cats to make a run.
Kentucky got it down to 61-48 midway through the second half, and they had a chance to make it a 10-point game. Denzel Aberdeen had two wide-open looks from 3-point range, and he missed them both. Florida took advantage and went back up 18 at 66-48.
Florida got up as many as 20 at 68-48, but the Cats gave themselves one last chance at a comeback. Down 73-61 with 3:53 remaining, it was time to either mount the comeback… or not.
Otega Oweh went to the free-throw line with 3:53 remaining and made both free throws. It was down to a 10-point game. Mouhamed Dioubate scored three straight points to make it 74-66 with less than 2:30 to play.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second half, shooting under 40 percent from the field overall and less than 30 percent from 3-point range.
Florida put the game away with rebounding and free throws, with all five starters in double figures.
MVP: Otega Oweh
He played his heart out Saturday. Oweh finished with 28 points and five rebounds in his last game at Rupp Arena, including four 3-pointers.
Box Score
Kentucky vs. Florida Twitter Reactions
Big Blue Nation was all over the place for this one. Here are the best reactions from Big Blue Nation during Saturday’s game.
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