Kentucky Wildcats at Arkansas Razorbacks

Knox leads Kentucky's second-half surge in win at Arkansas

Just don't ask Kevin Knox to reflect on that losing streak, at least not after the Wildcats put together one of their most dominating halves of the season in an 87-72 win at Arkansas on Tuesday night.

Knox scored 23 points in the win for Kentucky (19-9, 8-7 Southeastern Conference), which won for the sixth straight time over the Razorbacks. It was also the Wildcats second straight win after its long-forgotten losing streak, a victory that helped them avoid losing five out of six games for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

"I don't remember that (losing streak) at all," Knox joked. "I just remember the last two weeks."

Knox was one of five players to finish in double figures for Kentucky, which shot 46.3 percent (31 of 67) in the win and overcame an early 11-point deficit.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points for the Wildcats, while PJ Washington finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Quade Green added 12 points and Jarred Vanderbilt 11 for a Kentucky team led by its usual influx of freshmen, one that appears to have righted its ways after its four-game swoon.

Daryl Macon scored 26 points to lead the Razorbacks, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. It was the ninth time in the last 10 games Macon has scored 20 or more points. Anton Beard added 13 points and Jaylen Barford scored 12 for Arkansas.

The change in momentum was a sign of things to come during the Wildcats game-clinching run in the second half.

"They made a terrific run at a crucial time," Macon said. "After they went on that run, they were just clicking the (rest) of the game."

BIG PICTURE

Arkansas: The Razorbacks were 26th in the NCAA's RPI ratings coming into the game, and a victory would have gone a long way toward securing an NCAA Tournament berth for a third time in four seasons for the school. They still have several chances to impress the selection committee to end the regular season, including road games at Alabama and Missouri and a home contest with No. 12 Auburn.

OUTSIDE WOES

After making 8 of 19 3-pointers in the first half, Arkansas went cold from behind the arc in the second half. The Razorbacks made just 1 of 7 3-pointers in the half, during which Kentucky outscored Arkansas 44-29. "It just seemed like we had some big lulls in the game," Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. "The game came down to defensively we didn't do a good job stopping them and we didn't score, and sometimes that starts to affect your defense."

UP NEXT

Kentucky hosts Missouri on Saturday.

The Razorbacks are at Alabama on Saturday.

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Follow Kurt Voigt on Twitter at (at)Kurt-Voigt-AP

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