LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky's perceived toughness level has been challenged often this season, and the biggest test to date may have been Tuesday's clash with rugged Texas A&M.

The No. 8 Wildcats answered the bell, beating the No. 11 Aggies at their own game in an 81-69 triumph at Rupp Arena.

Kentucky (14-3, 3-1 SEC) won despite shooting just 33% from the arc and turning the ball over a season-high 17 times. They did so by embracing the physical challenge, smashing one of the nation's elite rebounding teams 40-30 on the glass and holding the Aggies to just 39% shooting from the field.

"I love winning a game where we never felt great," Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said. "We didn't feel great... There was no three-minute run where we felt great, where we felt like we really got into a flow. For our guys to win that game is really important. I like the way we can win different ways. I'm proud of our effort on the glass and on the defensive end. And we still can get so much better."

The Wildcats moved to 5-0 against ranked opponents on the season.

Grad senior center Amari Williams led the toughness parade, pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with his eight points, four assists, one steal, and one blocked shot.

"He looked like a man child on the glass, didn't he?" Pope said. "... I thought he was brilliant today. I thought he was so good. He was just a commanding presence on the glass. He was a man among men. That was a bunch of men on the court today. It was super-cool."

Added Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams: “Oh, I love (Williams)... The physicality that he brings, that is a difficult matchup. I enjoyed watching all of it, but he is a unique talent in regard to his skill set."

Kentucky also got toughness from perhaps an unexpected source in grad senior wing Jaxson Robinson, who followed his 27-point effort on Saturday in a win at Mississippi State with a game-high 22 points and eight rebounds against Texas A&M. He had a team-high plus/minus of 20 for the night.

"I think it's probably the most well-rounded I've seen him play," Pope said.

It marked only the third time this season that the Aggies have been outrebounded, and the plus-10 margin was the highest by any opponent.

Texas A&M (13-4, 2-2 SEC) was led by senior guard Zhuric Phelps with 21 points. Junior forward Pharrel Payne followed with 15 points and senior guard Manny Obsaseki added 13 for the Aggies, who played their third straight game without grad senior point guard Wade Taylor IV.

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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...

KEY MOMENT:

Kentucky broke the game open with a strong start to the second half. A pair of free throws by Otega Oweh and a 3-pointer by Travis Perry gave the Cats their biggest lead to date (40-32) and forced the Aggies to burn an early timeout. A Jaxson Robinson 3-pointer extended a 13-0 run that spanned both halves. Texas A&M would get no closer than six the rest of the way.

GAME BALL:

Amari Williams, Kentucky -- The grad senior center's physical defense and rebounding set the tone for the Wildcats' victory. His 12 rebounds against one of the nation's elite glass teams was a statement. In doing so, he became the first UK player to record 12 or more rebounds in back-to-back wins over an AP Top 15 opponent since Johnny Cox in 1958 against No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 5 Temple.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Kentucky player, Jaxson Robinson, to record 22 or more points in back-to-back wins over an AP Top 15 opponent since Heshimu Evans in 1998 against No. 11 Indiana and No. 2 Maryland.

3 - Steals by UK guard Otega Oweh, who has multiple steals in 10 games this season.

14-6 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series with Texas A&M, including an 8-2 mark in Lexington and winning the last six at Rupp Arena.

19 - Assists by the Cats on 24 made baskets. Three different players had at least four, led by Lamont Butler with 7, Amari Williams with four, and Andrew Carr with four.

20,039 - Attendandce at Rupp Arena.

QUOTABLE:

"I think the utilization of the talent and the skill, considering the newness of the coach and his staff and the players, that’s really difficult to do. I have not seen any of their practices or their film sessions, but the teaching that is going on and the itinerary of the practices—for them to have the execution that they have— [it is] remarkable." -- Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams on the UK offensive attack.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Saturday with another elite matchup at Rupp Arena as No. 4 Alabama comes to Lexington for a Noon ET tipoff on ESPN. The Crimson Tide (14-3, 3-1 SEC) was upset by Ole Miss 74-64 on Tuesday in Tuscaloosa.