NEW ORLEANS — The sixth-ranked Kentucky basketball team lost to unranked UCLA 83-75 Saturday afternoon in the Smoothie King Center.
Kris Wilkes and Aaron Holiday each scored 20 points to lead the Bruins (9-3) and senior forward Thomas Welsh had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
"First off, it shows that we can win even though we're young," Holiday said. "I'm tired of people saying we're not good."
Hamidou Diallo paced the Wildcats (9-2) with 18 points on 7-for-17 shooting. Wenyen Gabriel had 16 points and six rebounds off the bench, and Kevin Knox added 15 points and five rebounds. PJ Washington scored nine and Nick Richards had seven points as Kentucky fell to 1-2 in neutral-site games this season.
"Today we played a game where one team wanted it more than the other," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "... So we deserved to lose it."
UCLA went on a 21-2 run spanning the end of the first half and opening of the second half to turn an eight-point deficit into a double-digit lead. The Wildcats mounted several runs of their own, including Knox scoring eight points in a four-minute stretch, to rally back and keep the contest competitive.
"I thought today we really put it together," UCLA coach Steve Alford said.
Game ball: Give it to Gabriel, who didn't hesitate on catch and shoot 3-point opportunities. The sophomore forward notched his season-high in points by hitting 3 of his 4 shots from 3-point range.
Head nod: Props to Diallo for scoring at least 18 points for the fifth consecutive time.
Statisically speaking: The Wildcats had to manufacture ways to score after missing 14 of 20 attempts from 3-point range. Kentucky scored 14 second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds and 21 points off 14 UCLA turnovers. ... UCLA hit 12 of 30 shots from beyond the arc and scored 20 second-chance points.
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Plan accordingly: Kentucky will face North Carolina in Chicago's United Center next season on Dec. 22 in the CBS Sports Classic, the television network announced Saturday. UCLA will play Ohio State. Kentucky defeated North Carolina in Las Vegas in the 2016 CBS Classic.
Up next: Kentucky hosts rival Louisville (10-2) Friday at 1 p.m. in Rupp Arena.
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