With 13 minutes remaining, the crowd inside Rupp Arena was sent to its feet as Kentucky cut Indiana’s lead to three, and a travel put the ball back in the Wildcats’ hands.

After two missed 3-pointers and two free throws, Kentucky was still fighting for a basket, backed by high-quality rebounding. Kentucky eventually tied the game with a Brandon Garrison rebound-turned layup.

Dioubate found a layup of his own to give Kentucky its first lead since the first minute of the game, backed by an 8-0 scoring run to give the Cats a 50-49 lead and force Indiana into a timeout.

The 6-foot-7 junior found another layup to extend Kentucky’s lead, and five turnovers by the Hoosiers kept the momentum in the Cats’ favor.

Mo Dioubate returned to the court for the first time since Nov. 18 after suffering an ankle injury against No. 17 Michigan State. Dioubate’s defensive impact was immediate, tallying two rebounds and two steals in his first two minutes of play.

By the end of the first half, the Alabama transfer had four rebounds and three steals in nine minutes of play.

The fight Kentucky had lacked all season was finally showing up, particularly in one player. On his birthday, Dioubate put together his best performance yet in blue and white, finishing with a team-leading 14 points, 11 rebounds and five steals while shooting 57% from the field.

Kentucky men’s basketball picked up its first win over a Power Five opponent this season, defeating the Indiana Hoosiers (8-3) 72-60.

There was no empty seat inside Rupp Arena as Kentucky and Indiana renewed a rivalry dating back to 1924. The Wildcats and Hoosiers met for the first time since the 2015-16 season, when Indiana defeated Kentucky 73-67 to advance to the Sweet 16.

Without a single win against a Power Five opponent and an 0-4 record against Quad 1 opponents this season, the game was a now-or-never situation for Kentucky in gaining any momentum heading into its loaded conference schedule.

It was a defensive battle from tipoff, with both teams scoring only a couple of points in the first five minutes. Kentucky struggled to find the basket, and a 9-1 scoring run by the Hoosiers and a three-minute scoring drought gave Indiana the early edge.

However, a three-minute scoring drought and five straight missed shots by the Hoosiers gave Kentucky the chance to tie the score at 11 with a 6-0 scoring run. The defense continued dominating, forcing Indiana’s scoring drought to more than four minutes before the Hoosiers took their first timeout, sending Rupp Arena into a frenzy.

The Cats took their first lead at the 11-minute mark as a Jaland Lowe free throw put Kentucky on top 12-11.

The game stayed within one score for the majority of the first half, with the largest lead putting Indiana up by nine points with one minute remaining.

Kentucky’s season-long 3-point struggles became evident once again. Through the first 13 minutes, the Cats failed to convert on six attempts from beyond the arc. Kentucky finished the first half with only one 3-pointer on the stat sheet.

However, Indiana struggled offensively as well. By the end of the first half, the Hoosiers shot 40.9% from the field and 21.4% from 3-point range.

More notably, their top scorer, Lamar Wilkerson, who was coming off a 44-point performance against Penn State, was held to 12 points and picked up three fouls, limiting his time on the court in the final few minutes of the half.

Fouls became a theme in the first half, as the two teams combined for 24 total in the first 20 minutes. Indiana was more productive at the free-throw line, shooting 94.7% (18 of 19), while Kentucky scored 13 points, shooting 61.9% (13 of 21).

A 7-0 run by Indiana capped off the first half, as the Hoosiers took a 39-32 lead over Kentucky. The Cats shot 32.1% from the field and 11.1% from 3-point range.

Otega Oweh opened the second-half scoring for Kentucky with a wide-open 3-pointer. With a few free throws, Kentucky was able to cut the lead to five. The fouls carried over from the first half, with four fouls committed in the first four minutes of play.

A 5-0 scoring run by the Cats put them back within one score heading into a timeout, backed by a 3-pointer from Denzel Aberdeen. The Hoosiers shot a mere 20% from the field and 50% from the free-throw line, while the Cats shot 50% from the field and 66.7% from the free-throw line.

Kentucky went on a 16-2 scoring run, including a 7-0 spurt, to give the Cats an eight-point lead.

With six minutes remaining, Kentucky held Indiana to 14 points, shooting 28.6% from the field and 20% from 3-point range, while forcing 10 turnovers.

The Cats’ shots were consistently falling for what seemed like the first time this season. With two minutes remaining, Kentucky took a double-digit lead.

Kentucky walked away with its first win over a Power Five opponent, with three players scoring in double figures.

Kentucky will return to action next Saturday, Dec. 20, against Rick Pitino’s No. 22 St. John’s (6-3) squad in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. and will air live on CBS Sports.