Dorian Finney-Smith ran out to the perimeter to close out a Kentucky jump shooter, but the ball had already left Jamal Murray’s hands.
It fell through the net and came to a bouncing stop near Chris Chiozza’s feet, giving Kentucky its first 20-point lead of the game 13 minutes into the first half.
Chiozza picked up the ball and slammed it down onto the court in frustration.
“Jamal Murray just abused us,” UF coach Mike White said
Florida had no answer for Murray, the Kentucky guard who scored a career-high 35 points in the No. 20 Wildcats’ 80-61 torching of the Gators (15-8, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) on Saturday in Lexington.
The freshman made his first six shots from three-point range on his way to an 80-percent outing from behind the arc.
As a team, Kentucky (17-6, 7-3 SEC) shot 52 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range, aided by a strong performance from guard Tyler Ulis. The sophomore tallied a double-double, converting on seven of his 12 shots for 18 points and 11 assists.
Meanwhile, Florida shot 40 percent from the field, its lowest mark since Jan. 26 against Vanderbilt, and 32 percent from three-point range.
“They were incredible. We didn’t provide any resistance early on,” White said. “It was a poor defensive performance from us. We didn’t give ourselves a chance.”
Kentucky began the game on a 24-5 run, the result of poor shooting from Florida and a lack of defense along the perimeter. The Wildcats made 10 of their first 14 shots, including four three-pointers, while the Gators missed six of their first seven shots.
The most jarring evidence of Florida’s poor play came about four minutes into the game. Leading the Gators 18-5, Kentucky had more three-point makes (four) than Florida had shot attempts (three).
“They set a tone defensively that it was gonna be a long night for us,” White said. “And it certainly was.”
Forward Dorian Finney-Smith, as he has been throughout SEC play, was consistent for the Gators, collecting a season-high tying 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting while hauling in a game-high eight rebounds.
The rest of Florida combined to shoot 31 percent from the field.
“Dorian was really good,” White said. “I thought he was the lone bright spot for us.”
Center John Egbunu scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, but was the only other Florida player to score double digits.
KeVaughn Allen didn’t earn his first points until he connected on a running floater from behind the arc to beat the first-half buzzer, his only points of the game.
“It wasn’t our day,” White said.
Now with a 2-6 record in true road games, Florida will return home to face Ole Miss on Tuesday in the O’Connell Center.
“Did we look as confident and as poised as we have lately at home? Absolutely not,” White said. “It’s just no excuse. We’ve got to be mentally tougher than that.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Ian Cohen icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
Dorian Finney-Smith dunks during Florida’s win over West Virginia on Jan. 30, 2016, in the O’Connell Center.
