LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky didn't win a beauty contest Saturday night, falling behind early and surviving a tense second half against a 13-point underdog.
But the 18th-ranked Wildcats did survive, beating Vanderbilt 56-47 at Rupp Arena, making it five in a row over the Commodores, who've not won in Lexington since 2007.
Freshmen guards handled the scoring load for Kentucky (12-3, 2-1 SEC), which got 15 points from Keldon Johnson, who dealt with foul trouble, 15 points from Ashton Hagans and 12 from Immanuel Quickley.
Hagans exited the game with 5:05 remaining after appearing to hurt his lower back on a drive to the basket.