Future Kentucky opponents are starting to see things emerge that they were hopeful would remain dormant this season.

Freshman wing BJ Boston, whose struggles have been well-documented during the Wildcats' 4-9 start to the season, delivered his second straight big offensive performance on Saturday, scoring a team-high 18 points in leading UK to an 82-69 win over LSU at Rupp Arena.

Boston, a five-star prospect who was part of Kentucky's No. 1 national recruiting class, has now scored 18 points in his last two outings after failing to reach double figures in three of the previous four.

"I've just been working hard every day, taking it day by day, staying humble and keeping my head down, staying level-headed, and believing in what my team is doing and believing in what my coach is telling us to do," said Boston, who also chipped in with six rebounds and three assists.

"You're not going back to (being) that guy," Calipari said of a moment in the first half when it appeared Boston was reverting to bad high school habits with a weakly flipped shot at the basket, avoiding contact. "That guy has left the building."

Boston responded by attacking the rim on his next opportunity, converting a three-point play.

"You're going to be the guy that we keep training you to be," Calipari added. "That's who you are. And now, downhill runner, create fouls... all the sudden you look like one of the best players in the country."

Teammate Lance Ware is not surprised by Boston's recent surge.

"Anytime I go to the gym, he’s already there whether it's early in the morning or late at night. He stays in the gym," Ware said.

It was also an impressive defensive showing for the Cats, who held LSU to 16 points below its league-leading average. Kentucky has now held three consecutive opponents in the 60s after getting blitzed 85-65 by Alabama on Jan. 12 at Rupp Arena.

"There's a lot of people who don't want to see us get going because of how we defend and how long we are," Calipari said.

LSU shot just 38% from the field and went 4-for-23 from the 3-point arc.

In addition to Boston's impressive outing, Kentucky (5-9, 4-3 SEC) also go 15 points and nine rebounds from sophomore forward Keion Brooks Jr., 13 points from grad transfer center Olivier Sarr, and 11 points from grad transfer guard Davion Mintz.

Freshman forward Isaiah Jackson played a key role as well with 15 rebounds in only 16 minutes of action off the UK bench. The Cats out-rebounded LSU 46-31, limiting the Tigers to just five second-chance points in the second half as the visitors tried to play from behind.

LSU (10-4, 5-3 SEC) got a game-high 26 points from Trendon Watford and 18 from Cameron Thomas, but the duo was 16-of-40 from the field.

*****

RAPID RECAP:

Kentucky got off to a fast start in this one and rode the momentum all night long. In a puzzling move, LSU decided to press the Cats, who have struggled in the halfcourt offense for most of the season. That helped get UK into a good rhythm with a season-high 49 points in the first half and a 13-point lead at the break. That was the magic number in this one. Keion Brooks had 13 of his 15 points in the first half, and BJ Boston carried the Cats with 13 of his 18 in the second half. The Tigers were never able to get closer than five points in the second half.

GAME BALL:

BJ Boston, Kentucky -- It appears that the Georgia native may be starting to break through for the Cats. Back-to-back 18-point efforts have UK fans wondering what the team might be able to accomplish when Terrence Clarke returns from injury and the Cats finally have all of their parts on the floor for the first time this season.

KEY STAT:

The Cats had just nine turnovers leading to eight points for LSU. That was a massive turnaround from the 17 they committed on Wednesday at Georgia, leading to a staggering 25 points for the Bulldogs.

QUOTABLE:

"We've been saying the biggest thing is turnovers. Today we had (only) nine turnovers, and three or four of them were shot-clock violations." -- UK coach John Calipari on his team's much-improved ball security. The Cats are averaging 11.6 turnovers in wins this season and 16.7 miscues in losses.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky gets a rematch with league-leading Alabama on Tuesday night in Tuscaloosa. The No. 18 Crimson Tide improved to 8-0 in the SEC on Saturday with an 81-73 win over Mississippi State. Tipoff for UK and Bama is slated for 7 ET on ESPN.