It took the Wildcats awhile to wake up, but once they got rolling the Tigers were on their heels. Kentucky overcame a nine-point deficit to go ahead by as much as eight, eventually taking a 40-37 lead into the halftime locker room.
Nick Richards and Austin Wiley were each relegated to the bench for significant time with two fouls apiece. Tyrese Maxey led UK with 12 points and Nate Sestina chipped in nine. Auburn hit seven first half three-pointers, with three coming from Danjel Purifoy. A look at the complete first half stats:
