LEXINGTON, Ky. — In a thrilling encounter, Koby Brea emerged as a standout player for No. 10 Kentucky, scoring 23 points and making seven 3-pointers from the bench, leading his team to a 106-100 victory over No. 6 Florida on Saturday. This matchup marked the Gators’ first loss of the season, dropping their record to 13-1, with Kentucky improving to 12-2.
Florida attempted a late-game comeback and narrowed the gap from an 80-69 deficit to 89-87 after Walter Clayton Jr. sank a couple of free throws with 4:40 left. However, Lamont Butler responded with a critical three-pointer just as the shot clock was expiring, later adding two more free throws to help secure the win for the Wildcats.
Clayton was a force for Florida, finishing with 33 points, including 12 crucial points during an 18-9 run that brought the Gators back into contention. Alijah Martin also contributed significantly, scoring 20 of his total 26 points in the second half after Kentucky established a 52-42 lead at halftime. Butler rounded out an impressive performance with 19 points and eight assists, with Kentucky featuring a total of six players scoring in double figures.
In terms of takeaways, Florida capitalized on offensive rebounds to take an early lead and stayed in the game with their second-half adjustments, securing 15 offensive rebounds that led to 31 second-chance points. Conversely, Kentucky struggled initially, being outrebounded 12-2 in the first ten minutes and finding themselves behind 20-11, but managed to regain their footing by dominating the boards 16-9 for the remainder of the first half, which helped them reach a 10-point lead at halftime.
A pivotal moment occurred when Florida closed the gap to just one point at 70-69, prompting a 30-second timeout from coach Todd Golden. Following the timeout, Kentucky responded aggressively, scoring ten unanswered points to regain control of the game.
A noteworthy statistic was that Florida had previously limited their last four opponents to a mere 20% shooting from beyond the arc, allowing an average of five 3-pointers per game. However, Kentucky defied this trend, shooting 48% from three-point range and sinking 14 shots from deep.
Looking ahead, both teams are set for their next challenges on Tuesday night: Florida will host the top-ranked Tennessee while Kentucky travels to face Georgia.
