LEXINGTON, Ky. — Auburn entered Saturday's matchup with Kentucky as a 24-point underdog, but that number looked lopsided for much of the game. The Tigers hung around with Kentucky until deep in the second half, but a late run gave the Wildcats plenty of cushion. Freshman guard Malik Monk scored 24 points to lead the Wildcats to a 92-72 win over a pesky Auburn team.

Kentucky led for double-digits for most of the second half, although Auburn cut the lead to four with 12:32 left to play. Auburn's T.J. Dunans heated up, scoring 12 straight points to make the sellout Rupp Arena crowd uncomfortable.

The closest Auburn would get after that, however, was eight points. Monk threw down a vicious slam, knocked down an open 3-pointer and hit a ridiculous shot falling away from the basket with the shot clock winding down. Mychal Mulder also came off the bench and scored 12 points.

Bam Adebayo scored 15 points, De'Aaron Fox scored 13 and Isaiah Briscoe 12 to lead the Wildcats in scoring. Wenyen Gabriel knocked down his first two 3-pointers of the game but missed his next six shots. He finished with a team-leading 16 rebounds.

Malik Monk. Monk was quiet for most of the first half but then turned it on in the second half. 12 of his points came in the final half and his electrifying plays gave life to Kentucky any time Auburn looked like it was threatening.

This spot should be reserved for Monk. The freshman more often than not provides a spectacular highlight every time he steps on the court. A big slam in the second half ignited the crowd and helped Kentucky pull away.

3-point shooting. Kentucky shot just 1 of 9 from three against Vanderbilt on Tuesday night. That wasn't the case at all against Auburn. The Wildcats were 8 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half with six different players connecting from outside.

Wenyen Gabriel entered the game with only four made 3-pointers on the season, but he knocked down his first two three's of the game.

Kentucky finished the game with 11 3-pointers.

Kentucky (15-2): The Wildcats travel to Starkville, Miss., on Tuesday to face Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are on a three-game winning streak.

Auburn (11-6): The Tigers host LSU on Wednesday night. LSU is 9-6 on the season.