Down by 11 midway through the second half Saturday at Florida, Kentucky flipped the switch.

The Wildcats exploded for a 30-8 run that turned what once looked like a double-figure loss in the making to an impressive 65-54 victory in one of the SEC's toughest venues.

"Not only playing from down, but we finished the game off," UK head coach John Calipari said. "... I'm proud of these guys. It's a good group of kids who are understanding that we're using each game to learn and grow."

Kentucky (18-3, 7-1 SEC) claimed its eighth consecutive win. Freshman wing Tyler Herro led the No. 7 Wildcats with 19 points, and sophomore forward PJ Washington delivered a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Freshman wing Keldon Johnson chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds after a slow start. His tip-in and 3-pointer on back to back possessions midway through the second half helped spark UK's big run.

Trailing 48-43 with 7:12 remaining, UK got consecutive buckets from four different players -- Washington, Herro, Johnson and Reid Travis to take its first lead since the 4:12 mark of the first half.

Another 3-pointer by Herro and a pair of free throws by Immanuel Quickley capped the key 14-0 spurt and put the Cats up nine with only 2:24 to go. The Gators could draw no closer than seven the rest of the way.

Florida (12-9, 4-4 SEC) managed only five field goals during the final 14 minutes of action. UK held the Gators to 35 percent (22 of 63) from the field and a 5-for-19 day from beyond the arc, which was the Cats' main defensive emphasis going into the game.

"Our game plan was to force them to take tough 2s, rebound the ball, and get out in transition," Washington said.

Andrew Nembhard led the Gators with 12 points, while KeVaughn Allen and Jalen Hudson each added 11. Florida's No. 2 scorer on the season, Noah Locke, was held to just six points on 2-for-12 shooting.

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

THE GOOD:

In a moment that could come to define Kentucky's 2018-19 season, PJ Washington huddled the Cats after a break in the action and the game seemingly slipping away from UK. Washington seemed to direct many of his stern comments toward freshman Keldon Johnson, who had been struggling royally to that point. Rather than exchanging words or sulking, Johnson responded. He had eight of his 10 points from that point forward and pulled down several big rebounds down the stretch. It's another example of the player-driven team UK head coach John Calipari has been seeking.

THE BAD:

Kentucky struggled to take advantage of its size for most of the game. Give credit to Florida's stingy defense (No. 10 nationally in KenPom's efficiency rankings entering the matchup) but the Cats should not be outscored 30-26 in the paint by a Gator squad playing four men shorter than 6-5 for most of the game.

THE UGLY:

The Cats finished 6-of-21 from the 3-point arc, which helped contribute to falling into an 11-point hole. Almost every shot was completely uncontested. Calipari keeps calling this his best perimeter shooting team during his time at UK, but the players aren't doing much to back up their coach.

GAME BALL:

Tyler Herro, Kentucky -- The freshman wing from Wisconsin was the only Cat whose shot was on from the get-go. He was 4-for-4 and scored 10 points in the first half while the rest of the UK roster was 8-for-30. Without his performance, the Cats would have trailed by more than 33-29 at the break and may not have been able to flip the switch.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Win for UK in Gainesville since the 2015-16 season.

3 - Consecutive double-doubles for Kentucky's PJ Washington, who has 61 points and 37 rebounds in those games.

15 - Team-high +/- for UK's Immanuel Quickley.

17 - Points under their combined scoring average in league play (34.6 ppg) for Florida's KeVaughn Allen and Noah Locke.

26 of 26 - Tyler Herro free-throw shooting in SEC play.

46-34 - Kentucky's advantage in the rebound column.

101-40 - UK's all-time record against Florida.

1979-80 - The last time UK won in Gainesville in both basketball and football.

QUOTABLE:

"It's a hard place to play. The fans were on us, and we came out a little bit slow. But I felt like we picked it up and came together in the last eight minutes. We told ourselves we're not giving this one up." -- UK forward PJ Washington

UP NEXT:

Kentucky plays host to South Carolina on Tuesday night at Rupp Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The Gamecocks (11-10, 6-2 SEC) are coming off an 86-80 win on Saturday at Georgia.