Howard, No. 17 Kentucky women defeat Florida 85-73

GAINSVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Rhyne Howard scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds and No. 17 Kentucky turned back Florida 85-73. With the Gators challenging on the strength of their 3-point shooting, Howard scored five points with an assist and a steal as the Wildcats stretched a three-point lead with 5:49 to play to 87-73. Florida, which went 10 of 18 from 3-point range, had four misses and four turnovers in going more than five minutes with just one free throw. Kiara Smith had 23 points with 10 rebounds. The Gators announced before the game sophomore star and leading scorer Lavender Briggs would miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury.