Kentucky got 27 big points out of Malik Monk, while Isaac Humphries, Dominique Hawkins, Derek Willis and Wenyen Gabriel all played well during extended minutes, as the Wildcats slowed down the tempo and ground out a tough, important SEC win over South Carolina, 85-69.
It was Gabriel that contributed first, scoring eight early points, including two 3-pointers, all within the first five minutes, to help the Cats jump out to an early 10-point lead. Kentucky’s defense forced turnovers early, and the Cats got out in transition, as De’Aaron Fox pushed the tempo. A Monk layup with 11:29 left in the first half gave the Cats a 23-6 lead.