Trailing by just four points with under three minutes remaining in regulation, Florida was looking to muster a late comeback at Rupp Arena much like that of last season.
However, what would have been UF’s chance at tallying back-to-back victories on Kentucky’s home floor for the third time in program history quickly dwindled with 1:30 left to play.
UK graduate forward Andrew Carr drilled a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the left corner in crunch time that all but sunk the Gators in their first loss of the season.
In a high-flying offensive affair, No. 6 Florida (13-1, 0-1 SEC) tallied its first loss of the season against No. 10 Kentucky (12-2, 1-0 SEC) 106-100 in front of a hostile crowd in Lexington Saturday.
The Gators took the court for an early noon CT tip-off against Kentucky, but hardly looked like they had just rolled out of bed. Florida grabbed an early 5-0 lead in the first minute-plus following a putback layup by Chinyelu and a 3-pointer from the right corner by Clayton Jr.
Chinyelu was a force in the first half, joining Clayton Jr. as UF’s leading scorer with 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field while grabbing six rebounds.
Both squads entered Saturday’s contest with top 10 offensive efficiency ratings, but the Wildcats got off to a cold start in the game’s early going. UK made just one of its first six field goal attempts while being out-rebounded 8-2 in that span. The Wildcats trailed 10-5 heading into the first under-16 timeout.
Florida extended its lead to 20-11 with 12:58 remaining in the first half after sophomore forward Thomas Haugh calmly stepped to the line amid a ruckus at Rupp Arena and knocked down a pair of free throws. Haugh chipped in with an impressive offensive spark off the bench against the Wildcats, finishing with nine points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field.
With the momentum seemingly in UF’s favor midway through the first half, a pair of massive blocks at the rim by Chinyelu and senior guard Alijah Martin furthered this narrative. However, the tail of the tape did a complete 180 for the next three-plus minutes, as the Wildcats ripped off a dominant 16-0 run to take a 31-26 lead with 7:29 remaining before halftime.
Kentucky junior guard Otega Oweh was the catalyst for the Cats’ run. Oweh scored 10 of UK’s 16 points through this offensive surge and led UK to its first lead of the game. From there, Kentucky remained in control of the first half, out-scoring the Gators 21-16 after graduate guard Lamont Butler picked Clayton Jr.’s pocket and broke away for a layup in the final seconds before halftime to give the Wildcats a 52-42 lead.
UF’s backcourt has been sensational this season, averaging over 46 points per game. The start of the second half proved to be much of the same, as Martin and Clayton Jr. both made 3-pointers in the first 1:36 of the second period to cut Kentucky’s lead to just four points.
Martin seemingly put the Gators on his shoulders when they needed it the most. He scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half and finished as Florida’s second leading scorer behind Clayton Jr., who set a new career high with 33 points on 9-of-15 shooting and six 3-pointers. Chinyelu chipped in with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists to go along with sophomore forward Alex Condon’s nine points and 10 rebounds to lead UF’s frontcourt.
Nevertheless, these string of strong performances were not enough. The Wildcats answered in a big way midway through the second half with a 10-0 run, which Carr capped off with a putback layup off a UF turnover that allowed UK to grab a comfortable 80-69 lead with 9:23 left in regulation.
From there, the Gators fought their way back to trail by two points with just over four minutes remaining behind a 7-0 run and an off-balance 3-pointer made by Clayton Jr. from the top of the key. However, coming out of the under-four media timeout, Kentucky kept Florida at bay. The Wildcats out-scored the Gators 17-15 in the final 4:49 and used timely 3-pointers from Carr and senior guard Lamont Butler to seal the victory.
Kentucky fifth-year guard Koby Brea was remarkable for the Wildcats. He came off the bench and scored 23 points on a lights-out 7-of-9 3-point shooting display to lead six double-digit scorers for UK.
It wasn’t just a versatile scoring attack from the Wildcats: it was an efficient one as well. UK shot 37-of-64 from the field (58%) and 14-of-29 from distance (48%). Rounding out Kentucky’s offensive arsenal was Butler with 19 points and Oweh with 16.
Florida will once again have its hands full in its next SEC matchup. The Gators will play host to No. 1 Tennessee at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for their second game against a top-10 opponent in four days. Tip-off between UF and UT at the O’Dome is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a senior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose to further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
