No. 14 Kentucky men’s basketball (16-7, 5-5) defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks (10-13, 0-10) 87-50 on Saturday afternoon, putting an end to its two-game losing streak.

Heading into the matchup, Kentucky dropped four of its last five games, undoubtedly going through its worst stretch of basketball this season, losing to No. 4 Alabama, Vanderbilt, Arkansas and No. 25 Ole Miss. 

The Cats needed to beat South Carolina, a team that was yet to win an SEC game this season and, through the help of their big men, they were able to solidify the victory and gain some positive traction.

Fifth-year senior Amari Williams put up 10 points, six rebounds and two assists, shooting 4-9 from the field and 2-2 from the free-throw line.

The Nottingham, England, native put up a game-high +/- of 32, playing the most active role amongst those on the court. 

Even through UK’s recent struggles, Williams has now gone four-straight games where he has put up double-digit points on the score sheet. 

Coming off the bench for Williams was sophomore Brandon Garrison, who tallied a season-high 15 points while adding on one rebound, one assist and two steals, shooting 7-8 from the field and 1-2 from deep. 

The Oklahoma City native provided a massive sequence in the second half, scoring seven points in less than two minutes, flushing two-dunks while hitting his sixth 3-pointer of the season. 

Going forward, Williams will need to keep providing that spark from the get-go while Garrison needs to continue to grind on offense and defense while Williams is resting. 

The Wildcats look ahead to Tuesday, Feb. 11 when they host the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers in a rematch. 

The Cats last faced the Vols on Jan. 28, in Knoxville, and came out with a 78-73 win. In that game, Williams scored 10 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds while Garrison contributed just two points and two boards. 

The rematch between the Cats and Vols can be viewed on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.