GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Xaivian Lee scored 22 points, Urban Klavzar added 19 and No. 14 Florida beat 25th-ranked Kentucky 92-83 Saturday for its 10th victory in its last 11 outings.
Lee and Klavzar took advantage of Florida’s paint presence and hit a combined nine 3-pointers.
Thomas Haugh (17), Alex Condon (14) and Rueben Chinyelu (10) also scored in double figures for the Gators, who ended a six-game skid against the Wildcats at home.
Florida (19-6, 10-2 Southeastern Conference) had been 1-4 against Kentucky (17-8, 8-4) under coach Todd Golden. But the Gators led wire to wire in this one and finished with a 45-37 rebounding advantage. Condon and Chinyelu grabbed 11 boards each, both finishing with a double-double.
The matchup featured a unique subplot. Kentucky guard Denzel Aberdeen, who spent the last three years at Florida and helped the Gators win the national title last March, was “welcomed” back with a chorus of boos.
Aberdeen led the Wildcats with 19 points while getting taunted with chants of “Gator traitor” throughout. Collin Chandler added 18, and Otega Oweh chipped in 13.
Florida opened up a double-digit lead early but didn’t put Kentucky away until a second-half spurt that included inside buckets from Condon and outside shots from Klavzar, who finished 5-of-11 shooting from behind the arc.
The Gators had several former players on hand for the sold-out game, including NBA rookies and Walter Clayton and Will Richard. Clayton, the MVP of last year’s Final Four, and Richard were greeted with standing ovations when they walked to their courtside seats and when they were recognized in the first half. Matt Walsh (2002-05) and Matt Bonner (1999-2003) also made the trip to Gainesville.
Up next
Kentucky: Hosts Georgia on Tuesday.
Florida: Hosts South Carolina on Tuesday.
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