After starting the season 7-1 at Williams Arena, the Gophers took their first road trip Wednesday, heading to one of the cathedrals of college basketball. They left Kentucky’s Rupp Arena with a 76-57 victory, making the most of their only road game of the non-conference schedule.

The Gophers (8-1) used hot three-point shooting and fierce second-half defense to win their fifth consecutive game. They trailed 38-36 at halftime, then scored the first 11 points of the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth. Mara Braun led the way with a game-high 25 points on nine-of-15 shooting, including five of seven from three-point range.

Kentucky (5-5) struggled to break through a tightened Gophers defense in the second half. The Wildcats trailed by seven points going into the fourth quarter, but they did not make a field goal in the quarter until 3 minutes, 26 seconds remained in the game, falling behind by as many as 23 points.

The Gophers’ sharp ball movement helped them shoot 46.7% overall and 59.1% from three-point range, with 22 assists on 28 field goals. Kentucky shot 26.1% in the second half and was outscored 40-19 over the final 20 minutes.

The Gophers led by as many as seven points in the first half, but a late Kentucky run put the Wildcats ahead by two at the break. Braun led the way with 17 points as the Gophers took advantage of a Kentucky defense that allowed them to get wide-open looks from the three-point line.

Of the Gophers’ 13 field goals in the first 20 minutes, seven came from beyond the arc. They started the half cold, missing their first five shots until Grace Grocholski hit a pair of three-pointers to fuel a 10-2 run that put the Gophers ahead 10-4. But Kentucky responded with seven consecutive points to regain the lead, setting the tone for a back-and-forth half.

The Gophers hit four of their first five shots in the second quarter and went up 26-20 on back-to-back three-pointers by Mallory Heyer and Grocholski. Before Kentucky hit its first three-pointer, the Gophers were six of nine from outside the arc.

But the Gophers hurt themselves with eight first-half turnovers, and Ajae Petty combined with Eniya Russell for 25 first-half points to keep the Wildcats close. Kentucky outscored the Gophers 24-10 in the paint in the first half, and Petty scored six points during an 8-2 run that put the Wildcats ahead 29-28.

Kentucky scored the last four points of the half for a 38-36 lead. The Gophers sharpened their defensive focus to start the third quarter, and the Wildcats missed their first seven shots as the Gophers rolled to a 47-38 lead.

They led by as many as 10 points in the quarter, shooting 57% while holding the Wildcats to 4-of-13 shooting. A three-pointer by Braun made it 56-47 with 48 seconds remaining in the quarter, but Kentucky responded with a Russell pullup jumper to cut its deficit to seven points going into the final 10 minutes.

The Gophers outscored Kentucky 16-1 over the first 5:19 of the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 72-50.

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.