Kentucky (19-12, 10-8 Southeastern Conference) got 19 points off the bench to aid in a second-half rally that came up just short.
Florida scored the game’s first 11 points before Andrija Jelavic scored in the lane for the Cats. UK got a free throw from Dioubate and a three-point play from Oweh to cut the deficit to 11-6. A Dioubate three got the Cats within two but Florida answered with five consecutive points.
Oweh scored in the lane then hit a three to cut the deficit to 16-14, but Florida hit two free throws to lead by four. An Oweh three got the Cats within one but Florida scored to lead 20-17. A Brandon Garrison putback got UK within one again but again, Florida responded with 13 straight points to lead 33-19.
Dioubate made a free throw but Florida made a layup to lead by 15. An Oweh three cut the deficit to 35-23 but the Gators scored four in a row to lead 39-23. A Garrison tip in got the Cats within 14 but Florida outscored Kentucky by three the rest of the half to lead 49-32 at the break. Oweh had 17 points in the first 20 minutes.
Florida scored the first two points of the second half before Malachi Moreno scored on a putback for the Cats, then Jelavic converted a dunk to cut the deficit to 51-36. The Gators would score to lead by 17 again.
A Collin Chandler dunk cut the deficit to 53-38 but Florida responded with a three-point play to lead by 18. Aberdeen then hit a three, but the Gators responded with a three of their own. Garrison scored underneath but the Gators answered again and led 61-43.
Kentucky got two free throws from Aberdeen and a Jasper Johnson three to cut the deficit to 61-48 but the Gators scored seven in a row to lead by 20.
Moreno scored underneath and Jelavic hit a three to cut the UF lead to 68-53 but the Gators scored three straight to lead 71-53.
The Cats got a bucket from Oweh, another from Aberdeen, then two Oweh free throws to cut the deficit to 71-59. After a Florida basket, UK got a bucket from Dioubate and two Oweh free throws to get within 10. The Gators made one free throw before Dioubate scored three in a row to cut the deficit to 74-66. Florida scored again and led by 10 with 2:06 to play.
UK kept climbing back, eventually getting as close as five points late in the game, but could not get over the hump.
Kentucky returns to action in the SEC Tournament as a number nine seed in Nashville next week. The Wildcats will play sixteen seed LSU on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.