Kentucky's Koby Brea (4) celebrates his 3-point shot in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
Koby Brea hits seven 3-pointers as No. 10 Kentucky hands No. 6 Florida its first loss, 106-100
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — 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 Southeastern Conference) 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.
Butler finished with 19 points and eight assists as Kentucky placed six players in double digits.
Takeaways
Kentucky’s Amari Williams (22) shoots in the middle of the Florida defense during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
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
Kentucky’s Otega Oweh (00) shoots while pressured by Florida’s Thomas Haugh (10) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
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.
Kentucky’s Amari Williams (22) dunks while Florida’s Sam Alexis (4) looks on during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Florida’s Thomas Haugh (10) pulls down a rebound near teammate Alex Condon, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Florida’s Will Richard, bottom, drives around Kentucky’s Andrew Carr, top, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Kentucky’s Amari Williams (22) goes up while pressured by Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu (9) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. (1) shoots near Kentucky’s Andrew Carr (7) and Amari Williams (22) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Kentucky’s Andrew Carr (7) shoots an uncontested 3-point shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Florida’s Alijah Martin (15) shoots past Kentucky’s Travis Perry (11) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Florida’s Alijah Martin (15) shoots over the defense of Kentucky’s Lamont Butler, center, and Otega Oweh (00) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Kentucky’s Lamont Butler (1), bottom shoots while defended by Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu (9) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Kentucky’s Jaxson Robinson (2) shoots while pressured by Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)Kentucky’s Otega Oweh (00) throws up a shot near Florida’s Alex Condon, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community? Create a free account to comment on stories, ask questions, and join meaningful discussions on our new site.
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.