LEXINGTON, Ky. _ In a season of inconsistency, one constant continued Saturday night: Kentucky again showed its age (or lack thereof).
Florida outplayed UK down the stretch to win, 66-64.
With another in what figures to be a long season of games undecided down the stretch, Kentucky scored only two baskets in the final 5:37. And one of those was a fluke banked 3 by Kevin Knox from near the top of the key.
That shot reduced UK's deficit to 64-61 with 32.5 seconds left. But by then, a 56-53 Kentucky lead with less than five minutes left had become a 64-58 deficit inside the final minute.
Kentucky did not submit meekly.
After Jalen Hudson hit two free throws to make it 66-61, Wenyen Gabriel hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 26.2 seconds left.
Keith Stone opened the door for Kentucky by missing the front end of a one-and-one with 19.9 seconds left.
But Florida blocked two Kentucky attempts to tie it. Egor Koulechov knocked Quade Green's driving attempt out of bounds. On the subsequent possession, PJ Washington got spun around to the floor. Boos greeted the non-call.
Kentucky's third chance to tie it was not charm. Chris Chiozza intercepted the desperation inbounds pass and flung the ball downcourt to eat up the final two seconds.
Kentucky fell to 14-5 overall and 4-3 in the Southeastern Conference.
Florida improved to a league-leading 6-1 in the SEC and 14-5 overall.
As expected, Kentucky used its distinct size advantage. Florida, which has four "bigs" injured or unavailable, lost the rebounding battle 49-38.
Kentucky also got a break when Florida made only 6 of 30 3-point shots, the 20 percent accuracy the third-worst of the season for the Gators.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Gabriel led UK with 10 points each.
Hudson was Florida's leading scorer with a game-high 17 points.
For the sixth time this season, Kentucky trailed at halftime. KeVaughn Allen hit a contested flip shot that bounced around the rim and in with seven seconds left to give Florida a 33-31 lead at intermission.
Kentucky's intent to exploit Florida's depleted front line was obvious throughout the first half. Only six of UK's 32 first-half shots were from 3-point range. That the Cats missed all six attempts, thus putting the 1,031-game streak of 3s in jeopardy, surely caused fretting.
But Kentucky made up for the misses by keeping Florida's high-powered 3-point attack in check. The Gators made only 3 of 13 shots from beyond the arc in the first half.
But Kentucky stayed close because of a 22-10 advantage in points from the paint.
Gabriel set the tone. Previously told to emulate Derek Willis, the 3-point shooting forward of the last two seasons, Gabriel went to work in the post. He scored seven points in 62 seconds. That outburst, which more than doubled the three points he scored at South Carolina on Tuesday, put UK ahead 15-13.
Florida countered by putting Koulechov on Gabriel, who did not score the rest of the half.
A put-back dunk by Jarred Vanderbilt, which sparked an eruption of cheers, came on the next possession.
Later, Vanderbilt began a 7-0 run that gave Kentucky its largest lead (28-20) in memorable fashion. His driving layup attempt bounced off the top of the backboard and fell into the basket. This caused more rapturous applause.
The good times did not last. Kentucky did not make a basket in the final 5:08. Florida closed out the half on a 13-3 run to lead at the break.
Florida found the range on its 3-point shooting early in the second half. Threes by Hudson and Allen put the Gators ahead 45-37. That prompted a UK timeout with 15:24 left.
UK coach John Calipari made four substitutions: Gabriel, Washington, Green and Sacha Killeya-Jones replaced Vanderbilt, Knox, Richards and Hamidou Diallo.
The mass substitution did not bring immediate dividends. Gabriel shuffled his feet in the post, ending the first possession with a walking violation.
But soon enough the subs re-asserted the advantage UK enjoyed in size. A dunk by Washington followed by a pair of put-backs by Killeya-Jones narrowed the deficit to 45-43.
Meanwhile, Florida called time with 11:46 left, perhaps to ponder its 5-for-22 3-point shooting to that point.
Kentucky stayed close, thanks in part to Florida's poor 3-point shooting.
Then, for a second straight game, Kentucky kept its streak of making 3-point shots alive inside the final 10 minutes.
Diallo hit from the left corner with 8:08 left. That made UK 1 for 9 from 3-point range. More importantly, it narrowed Florida's lead to 51-50.
Kentucky took a 53-51 lead on Gilgeous-Alexander's fast-break layup with 5:37 left. His 3-pointer put the Cats ahead 56-53 going into the final five minutes.
