LEXINGTON, Ky. _ Kentucky coach John Calipari got the gut-check he wanted. He might not want another one for a while.
UCLA snapped Kentucky's 42-game home winning streak by winning, 97-92, Saturday.
The defeat was only Calipari's fifth in 129 home games as UK coach. It took something extraordinary to beat Kentucky here in the other games: Elston Turner's 40 points for Texas A&M, one of Florida's Final Four teams, the combination of Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls for Arkansas, a battle-tested Baylor team.
No. 11 UCLA, which improved to 9-0 in its first game in Rupp Arena, beat No. 1 Kentucky. The Bruins took the lead late in the first half and never relinquished it. The deficit reached its zenith at 76-62 with 9:32 left.
The lessons of a close game had to include resilience. The Cats, who lost for the first time in eight games, did not wilt. With plaintive urgings from the crowd, UK kept reducing the deficit. When Derek Willis hit a 3 with 8.3 seconds left, a double-digit deficit only 40 seconds earlier was down to 95-92.
But UCLA responded.
"What I learned is how our guys can figure it out and fight through it," UCLA coach Steve Alford said of his players earlier in the week.
That gave the Bruins a bit of self-discovery in playing Kentucky so competitively in Rupp Arena.
Before the game, guard Isaac Hamilton suggested of the Bruins, "The jury is still out on us."
When UK closed within 85-77, "big" Thomas Welsh hit a baseline jumper. Welsh, who had a double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds) in UCLA's victory over Kentucky last season, hit another shot when the Cats got within seven.
Bam Adebayo, a tower of strength throughout the game for Kentucky, posted a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox added 24 and 20 points, respectively.
Isaiah Briscoe, who curiously stepped on the baseline three times on drives, scored 12 points. Willis added 11.
Hamilton led UCLA with 19 points. Lonzo Ball, the Bruins' ballyhooed freshman point guard, had an up-and-down game: 14 points, seven assists and six turnovers.
It was apparent long before halftime that this game would be unlike what UK fans had seen previously this season.
In the first seven games, Kentucky led by an average of 17.7 points (49-31.3) at halftime. The Cats' narrowest halftime leads were eight points over Michigan State and nine over Canisius.
UCLA led, 49-45, at intermission, and that was without Ball doing a lot.
The Bruins' star freshman made only one of five shots, got credit for three assists and committed five turnovers in the opening half. His one basket gave UCLA momentum going into the second half. He hit a 3-pointer over Adebayo from the top of the key with three seconds left to set the halftime score.
A crowd that packed into Rupp Arena knew quickly that this game would be competitive.
Kentucky called timeout 80 seconds into the game. The Cats had only taken shots from outside the paint and trailed, 4-0.
UK went to Adebayo in the post on the possession after the timeout. He missed, but the Cats' next three baskets came from the paint. Order had been restored.
Fox lost Ball on a move and fed Willis for a dunk that put Kentucky ahead, 16-9. The lead grew to as much as 23-14 when Dominique Hawkins beat Ball on a cut.
But beneath UCLA's glittering numbers was a resilience. The Bruins hung tough, and took a 44-41 lead when Aaron Holiday hit a 3 with 2:08 left.
With the game tied at 44-44 inside the final minute of the first half, Hamilton hit a fade-away from the post to put UCLA ahead.
The second half began like the first: UK called a timeout inside the first two minutes (this time with 18:06 left).
UCLA held a 56-47 lead thanks to crisp ball movement leading to a Hamilton corner 3 and a rim-rattling put-back dunk by freshman Ike Anigbogu.
Hawkins replaced Fox, but nothing changed. UCLA extended its lead to 60-47 when freshman TJ Leaf dunked a rebound over Willis.
Shortly thereafter, Fox and Gabriel replaced Willis and Hawkins as Kentucky sought a combination to mount a comeback.
With the crowd's urgings palpable, the rally came. Adebayo's emphatic put-back dunk while being fouled got the Cats within 67-60. Almost 13 minutes remained.
A set play steadied UCLA. Hamilton restored a double-digit lead by coming off a curl and hitting a 3-pointer. The Bruins extended to lead to 76-62 when Leaf drove by Adebayo and dunked with 9:32 left.
