LEXINGTON, Ky. -- No. 5 Kentucky, facing one of its stiffest challenges to date, overcame early shooting woes to defeat Arizona State 72-58 on Saturday at Rupp Arena.

Freshman guard Isaiah Briscoe sparked Kentucky (9-1). With UK holding a 35-33 lead early in the second half, Briscoe scored nine straight points to push the Wildcats ahead 44-38. It was all part of a 19-10 run that gave Kentucky a double-digit lead, 54-43, with 10:58 to play. By the 4:25 mark, UK had outscored Arizona State 36-15 since Briscoe’s outburst.

Freshman guard Jamal Murray led Kentucky with 17 points. Junior forward Marcus Lee added 14, sophomore guard Tyler Ulis 12 and senior Alex Poythress 10.

The day was not a good one for UK freshman forward Skal Labissiere. The prized recruit continued to struggle against physical opponents, with zero points, zero rebounds and five fouls.

Arizona State, now 6-3 after seeing its three-game winning streak snapped, was led by guard Tra Holder's 15 points. Guard Kodi Justice added 12.

Kentucky, which entered the game in a shooting slump, got no relief in the first half. The Wildcats made just 9 of 29 field goals, including 1 of 11 from 3-point range.

Murray, who arrived at UK as a reputed sharp-shooter, was 0-for-6. Briscoe was 0-for-4. Kentucky saw improvement in the second half, shooting 58 percent to finish the game at 43.6 percent.