Murray's career-high 35 leads No. 20 Kentucky over Florida
LEXINGTON, Ky. Jamal Murray scored a career-high 35 points, and No. 20 Kentucky beat Florida 80-61 on Saturday.
The Wildcats (17-6, 7-3 SEC) ended a rare two-game losing streak while improving to 15-0 at home.
Murray also made a career-best eight of Kentucky's season-high 12 3-pointers. He set the tone for the blowout with 20 points in the first half.
Tyler Ulis had 18 points and 11 assists for the Wildcats, who shot 52 percent (30-for-58) from the field. Derek Willis finished with 12 points.
Kentucky blew a 21-point lead in an 84-77 loss at Tennessee in its last outing. It got off to another fast start against the Gators, but closed it out with ease this time around.
Dorian Finney-Smith led the Gators (15-8, 6-4) with 24 points. John Egbunu had 12 points.
Murray and Ulis combined for 35 points to help Kentucky to a 50-32 lead at the break. The Wildcats then opened the second half with an 8-0 run, including a 3 for Murray that took a fortunate bounce on the rim.
Florida shot 39.6 percent (21-for-53) from the field. It went 6-for-19 from 3-point range, compared to 12-for-20 for Kentucky.