LEXINGTON, Ky. -- An in-state rival forced Kentucky to find a different way to keep its winning ways going on Tuesday.

Western Kentucky held the No. 8 Wildcats to their worst shooting night of the young season -- 40% from the field and 28% from the arc -- but UK showed it was equipped to find other ways to win.

Kentucky responded in kind, holding the Hilltoppers to just 32% from the field, allowing just four 3-pointers, and dominating the glass en route to a hard-fought 87-68 win at Rupp Arena.

It was the Wildcats' largest margin of victory in a game where they shot worse than 41% from the field, 28% from the arc, and 70% at the line since the 2004 season.

"It was really good for our guys," said first-year Kentucky head coach Mark Pope. "I'm proud of how our guys responded. We just kinda kept grinding and grinding and grinding away.

"We felt like this was potentially a first-round (NCAA Tournament) type game for us. That's how the guys approached it, and it was exactly kinda the way we wanted it. A ton of frustration oozing out of us the whole game, and I thought our guys did a great job of staying together and just being OK with going on to the next play."

Kentucky (6-0) got a double-double from grad senior forward Andrew Carr, who scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with three assists on a turnover-free night.

"There aren't a lot of people who have a 6-11, 230-pound 4-man," WKU head coach Hank Plona said of Carr. "... He always seems to have a mismatch. He's not just out there firing. He's not just out there trying to make things happen. He has 18 points, and it's almost like he just scores when he has to."

The Cats also got 18 points from junior guard Otega Oweh and 14 points from grad senior guard Lamont Butler. Grad senior center Amari Williams chipped in with 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Western Kentucky (3-3) was led by freshman guard Julius Thedford with 18 points. Senior forward Babacar Faye added 16 for the Hilltoppers.

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

KEY MOMENT:

After the Hilltoppers whittled a 16-point Kentucky lead down to six with just under 12 minutes to play, the Wildcats engineered a 14-4 spurt to reassert control of the game. Four different UK players scored during the run, including a driving layup and two free throws by Otega Oweh, an Andrew Carr bucket in the paint, a Koby Brea 3-pointer, and an Amari Williams layup.

GAME BALL:

Andrew Carr, Kentucky -- The grad senior forward and transfer from Wake Forest showed up big again in the Cats' second competitive game. He was one of the key performers in the upset of Duke, and his double-double tonight against WKU may have been the biggest difference between the teams.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Time this season that Kentucky has not made 10 or more 3-pointers. The Cats finished 8-of-29 from the arc.

6-2 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series with WKU.

21.2% - UK opponents' 3-point percentage this season.

54 - Rebounds for UK, led by 10 apiece from Andrew Carr and Amari Williams. The Cats were +13 on the glass over WKU.

71 - The most combined free throw attempts in a Kentucky game at Rupp Arena since Jan. 5, 2008, against Louisville (73). The Cats set season-highs tonight with 29 free throws made and 42 attempted.

QUOTABLE:

"It might not have been the most aesthetically pleasing game, but it was an awesome effort on the defensive end by our guys." -- UK head coach Mark Pope

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Friday at Rupp Arena against Georgia State in a 7 p.m. ET tipoff on the SEC Network. The Panthers (3-3) will face Tulsa on Wednesday before coming to Lexington.