Kentucky wins, takes SEC lead

Malik Monk scored 30 of his 33 points in the second half, Bam Adebayo added 18 points with 15 rebounds and No. 11 Kentucky rallied past No. 13 Florida for a 76-66 win Saturday in Lexington, Ky., to take over the Southeastern Conference lead.

While another week of SEC play remains for both teams, the Wildcats (24-5, 14-2) took an important step by twice rallying from eight down to win the pivotal matchup. And they can thank Monk for making it happen as he scored 14 points during an 18-10 run that tied the game at 55 with 9 minutes, 54 seconds left.

Adebayo scored six straight points before Monk added seven more in between lobbing a pass to Adebayo for a 70-60 lead with 4:04 remaining.

KeVaughn Allen had 24 points for the Gators (23-6, 13-3), who had won nine straight. Cyclones top Baylor: Deonte Burton scored 22 points, including a crucial 3-pointer with 1:17 left, as host Iowa State beat No. 9 Baylor 72-69 for its fifth straight win, the program’s longest streak since 2005.

Monte Morris added 17 points and seven assists for the Cyclones (19-9, 11-5 Big 12), who shot 58 percent to offset a 37-17 disadvantage on the boards.

Baylor (23-6, 10-6), which held a 26-2 edge in second-chance points, got 27 points and 11 rebounds from Johnathan Motley. ’Nova wins Big East: Eric Paschall scored a seasonhigh 19 points to help No. 2 Villanova (27-3, 14-3) clinch its fourth straight Big East regular-season title with a 79-63 win over No. 23 Creighton (22-7, 9-7).