Lexington, KY – A'dia Mathies scored 20 points and No. 6 Kentucky set a school record with their 12th straight win in a 76-69 victory over Florida in the SEC opener for both teams.
Jennifer O'Neill and DeNesha Stallworth each netted 17 points and Stallworth pulled down 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (13-1, 1-0 SEC), who also matched a program-best 30th straight home victory.
Jaterra Bonds scored 21 points, January Miller added 17 and Jennifer George logged 14 points and 11 rebounds for Florida (11-4, 0-1), which had won six straight coming in.
George's putback gave Florida its first and only lead, 35-34, with under two minutes left in the first half, but a jumper by Bria Goss and a 3-pointer by Kastine Evans gave the Wildcats a 39-35 edge at the break.
Kentucky opened the second half on a 7-0 run to build a double-digit lead, but the Gators battled back and were within two, 60-58, with six minutes left.
Florida missed its next five shots, and after O'Neill went 1-for-2 at the line, Mathies hit from long range and Stallworth scored inside to push Kentucky's lead to 66-58.
The Wildcats shot 6-of-9 from the foul line in the final minute to secure their longest home winning streak since winning 30 in a row from Feb. 12, 1980 - Jan. 31, 1982.
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