Game Notes | Kentucky Quotes | Georgia Quotes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Isaiah Briscoe and De'Aaron Fox each scored 20 points, Bam Adebayo added 13 and No. 1 seed Kentucky went on to beat No. 8 seed Georgia 71-60 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Coming off a double bye, the well-rested Wildcats started both halves quickly and steadily pulled away for a double-digit win over the Bulldogs after two close victories. Kentucky (27-5) offset 38 percent shooting by holding Georgia to 19-of-57 from the field (33 percent) and leading by as many as 18 in its tournament opener.

Briscoe provided the biggest lift, making 8-of-15 for his highest output since scoring a season-high 23 against Georgia on Jan. 31. Fox battled foul trouble but made 7-of-12 while Adebayo grabbed 10 rebounds to help Kentucky advance to Saturday's semifinal against the winner between No. 5 seed Alabama and No. 4 seed South Carolina.

J.J. Frazier had 15 points and Yante Maten added 12 for the Bulldogs (19-14), who played their second tournament game in as many days.

THE BIG PICTURE

Georgia: The Bulldogs faced a big hurdle with a quick turnaround and couldn't get the offense they needed against the fresher Wildcats. They made some 3-pointers in the second half, but it was too late to do any damage against a deficit that reached 18 with about 10 minutes remaining. Rebounding was the only consolation (42-all) with Derek Ogbeide's 15 boards matching a career high before he fouled out late.

Kentucky: Snapping out of their recent habit of slow starts certainly helped the Wildcats, who built a double-digit lead within 12 minutes and kept a comfortable cushion.

UP NEXT: Kentucky plays No. 5 seed Alabama in the semifinal round Saturday on ESPN. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 pm ET.