No. 8 Kentucky won its sixth straight game and improved to 8-1 with a 67-53 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Lexington, Ky.

It was the first of a key four-game stretch that will take Kentucky into the new year and the start of Southeastern Conference play. During a weeklong trip to Las Vegas next week, the Wildcats will face Utah on Wednesday and unbeaten No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday before closing with a rivalry battle against No. 1 Louisville on Dec. 28 in Lexington.

Sophomore guard Ashton Hagans paced Kentucky in Saturday's win with 21 points. He made 8-of-10 field-goal attempts and had seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

Sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley added 16 points. Junior forward Nick Richards added 12 points, while freshman Keion Brooks came off the bench for 10 points.

As a team, Kentucky shot 47.1 percent, including 4 of 12 from 3-point range. The Wildcats had 34 rebounds, 18 assists and 16 turnovers.

Junior forward Moses Wright paced Georgia Tech with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Khalid Moore and junior guard Bubba Parham added 10 points each. Georgia Tech was without starting point guard Jose Alvarado, who has missed six of the last seven games with an ankle injury.

As a team, the Yellow Jackets shot 43.4 percent, but went only 5 of 18 from 3-point range. They had 25 rebounds, 11 assists and 17 turnovers.

Kentucky took control with an 8-0 run to push the lead to 55-43 with 6:58 to play. Hagans scored the first six points of the burst on a 3-pointer and three free throws.

The largest lead was 16 points at 65-49 with 1:38 left in the game.

The Wildcats held a 36-30 lead at halftime thanks to a 15-4 run to close the frame. Trailing 26-21 -- the Yellow Jackets' largest lead of the game -- with 7:23 before intermission, Kentucky scored 10 straight points before trading buckets in the final two minutes. Ten of the 15 points came from Brooks (six) and Tyrese Maxey, who made four free throws.

Kentucky shot 51.7 percent in the first half with 16 rebounds and 10 assists. Hagans led the scoring with 11.

--Field Level Media