It wasn’t always easy for the Cats. Georgia hung around until about four minutes left in the first half after Kentucky’s sluggish offensive start. Yante Maten knocked down a pair of free throws to give Georgia a 23-22 lead. The Dawgs did not make a shot for the next seven minutes, sparking an 11-0 UK run.
Georgia could not recover because the Cats successfully contained the AP SEC Player of the Year. Using a group effort with smothering double teams, Maten was limited to just nine points on 2-of-10 shooting.
P.J. Washington stepped up in Vanderbilt’s absence to lead Kentucky in scoring with 18 points.