Immanuel Quickley scored 22 points in the second half to lead the Cats to their 22nd victory of the season.
LEXINGTON – February 22, 2020 – Bradley Charles – Bluegrass Sports Nation
The atmosphere inside Rupp Arena was electric today as BBN showed out in full force to aid the Cats past the Florida Gators. Historically, when the Gators make the trip to Lexington, they leave empty-handed. Kentucky entered the contest with a 52-10 record against the Gators in Lexington.
Despite being ranked sixth in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll, the Gators have been unranked since Dec. 2. Nevertheless, it’s still Florida and they entered the game 17-9 on the season which included a 9-4 record in the SEC.
In the First Half…
The score was tied 14-14 with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half. In the process, each team went on two consecutive 6-0 runs. From there, it was a back and forth game with neither team leading by more than three. Florida’s Ques Glover hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer which made the score 31-31 at halftime.
In the Second Half…
Florida had a great start to the second half and held a 40-33 lead with 17:05 to play in the game. However, the Cats continued to battle and Immanuel Quickley scored nine-straight points which Nick Richards followed up with a dunk to give Kentucky a 52-44 lead with 9:36 remaining.
Kentucky held a 61-53 lead with 1:34 to go in the game and were well-positioned to cruise past the finish line. However, down the stretch, the Cats turned the ball over three times in less than 30 seconds which allowed the Gators to make things interesting. Kentucky led by just two points after a layup from Scottie Lewis with 19 seconds to play in the game.
From there, Kentucky committed no turnovers and made all four of their free-throw attempts which was enough to give UK a 65-59 victory.
Game Notes:
Immanuel Quickley led all scorers with 26 points which set his career high. Quickley now has 16 straight games where he has scored in double figures which includes seven 20-point games.
Tyrese Maxey put forth a well-rounded game with 13 points to go along with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey were the only Wildcats to score in double figures.
Kentucky recorded 36 points in the paint; Florida tallied 26.
The Cats tallied 10 fastbreak points; Florida recorded no fastbreak points.
Team Notes:
Kentucky is 103-40 all-time against the Gators.
The Cats have won 14 of their last 16 games.
Kentucky is now 22-5 this season with a 12-2 record in the SEC; Florida is 17-10 on the season with a 9-5 record in league play.
UK entered the game ranked fifth in the country in FT%. The Cats lived up to that statistic today by going a perfect 10-of-10 from the line.
What’s Next?
Kentucky’s next game is on Feb. 25 at Texas A&M. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. and will air on ESPN.