Monk’s extra gear helps Wildcats defeat Gators
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Not satisfied with making perimeter jumpers, Malik Monk drove to the basket to create numerous opportunities at the free-throw line and found openings to feed his Kentucky teammates.
The freshman guard said he wasn’t aware how many points he had piled up until after the game, but he knew they helped the 11th-ranked Wildcats earn their most important victory this season.
Monk scored 30 of his 33 points in the second half and Bam Adebayo added 18 points with 15 rebounds as Kentucky rallied past No. 13 Florida for a 76-66 victory Saturday to take sole possession of the Southeastern Conference standings lead.
“I was just playing, but it was crazy. I was way more patient in the second half than I was in the first half,” said Monk, who made 10 of 11 free throws and five 3-pointers along with a teamhigh five assists.
That contribution definitely came in handy as Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox missed the game with a knee contusion.
While another week remains in SEC play for both teams, the Wildcats (24-5, 14-2) took an important step toward clinching the regular-season title by twice rallying from eight points down to win the crucial matchup. And they can thank Monk for making it happen, because he scored 14 points during an 18-10 run that tied the game at 55 with 9:54 remaining.
He ended up with the most points in one half by a player under coach John Calipari, who was taken aback by the outburst.
“Oh, he got 30 in a half?” Calipari said. “No wonder when I got on him about a couple of bad shots, he looked at me like I was crazy.”
Adebayo also overcame a slow start with 12 second-half points after grabbing 11 rebounds to rally Kentucky.
The 6-foot-10 freshman followed Monk’s pivotal stretch with six straight points before Monk added seven more in between lobbing a pass to Adebayo for a 70-60 lead with 4:04 left. Monk sandwiched two free throws around layups by Isaiah Briscoe and Adebayo, points that proved imperative in thwarting rally attempts by the Gators (236, 13-3).
Kentucky shot 64 percent in the second half to avenge a 22-point loss to Florida earlier this month. The Wildcats also outrebounded the Gators 48-30, with Adebayo grabbing 15 for the second straight game.
KeVaughn Allen had 24 points and Justin Leon added 13 for Florida, which had won nine straight. Devin Robinson had nine points and 11 rebounds.
The Gators had several chances to make things hard on Kentucky but didn’t succeed, letting a 12-point lead slip away in the first half before losing a couple of second-half edges. Several cold stretches didn’t help but rebounding was especially telling in this rematch — the Gators were outrebounded 48-30 after owning the boards 54-29 in the first meeting in Gainesville three weeks ago.
Most difficult was stopping Monk, who seemed to have answer for every defense they tried to contain him.
“We had a couple of options that did a good job on him in Gainesville,” Florida coach Mike White said. “We just didn’t do quite as good of a job (Saturday), especially down the stretch.”