COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jarred Vanderbilt made his much-anticipated debut but Kentucky couldn’t fend off South Carolina and dropped a 76-68 setback Tuesday night.

Kentucky led by 14 with 13 minutes remaining, but the Gamecocks used a 26-8 run to grabbed the lead for good down the stretch and run their record to 7-1 at home this season. The Wildcats lost their second Southeastern Conference game of the year and fell to 14-4 overall and 4-2 in the league.

Vanderbilt, who missed the first 17 games because of a foot injury, made his first appearance of the season at the 13:09 mark of the first half. Vanderbilt had a turnover, grabbed a rebound and missed two free throws and one field-goal attempt during his first two minutes on the court.

Vanderbilt finished with six points, five rebounds and three assists. Vanderbilt scored two points, grabbed three rebounds and added an assist in seven minutes in the first half.

Kentucky was whistled for 30 fouls as both teams combined for 59 fouls. The Wildcats fired up 36 free throws and made just 23 of those. Wenyen Gabriel fouled out with 7:21 remaining. Nick Richards was whistled for his fifth foul with 2:46 left. Four players finished with four fouls each.

Kevin Knox led the Wildcats with 21 points, followed by Richards with 12 and PJ Washington with 10.

The Wildcats were without Quade Green (back) and Tai Wynyard (back) for the third straight contest. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander started in place of Green and finished with six points. Green sat out the final six minutes of the first half because of foul trouble.

Gilgeous-Alexander struggled and committed five of his team’s 11 turnovers in the first half and played most of the second half with four fouls.

Knox paced the Wildcats with 10 points in the opening half, followed by Richards with eight.

South Carolina led for most of the first half and missed 15 straight field-goal attempts in a 10-minute stretch in the first half, giving the Wildcats an opportunity to recover from a slow start. The Wildcats capitalized on South Carolina’s struggles and led 37-34 at the break.

The hosts shot 33 percent in the first half after making seven of their first 10 field goals and building an early 19-12 advantage.

Kentucky made just one 3-pointer and and managed just six offensive rebounds, limiting the Wildcats to just one shot on most possessions.

Chris Silva paced South Carolina (12-6, 3-3) with 27 points, followed by Frank Booker with 18 and Make Kotsar with 12.

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Johnson, Quickly All-Americans

Kentucky signees Keldon Johnson and Immanuel Quickley were chosen to compete in the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 28 at Phiilips Arena in Atlanta.

Johnson, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia is listed as one of the top prospects in the Class of 2018. Johnson played at Huntington Prep Academy in West Virginia before attending Oak Hill for his senior season. He also was named MVP of the NBPA Top 100 Camp last June.

Quickley, a 6-4 guard at John Carroll School in Bel Air, Maryland, has scored 30 or more points in five games, 20 or more in 14 contests and compiled eight double-doubles this season.

During Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky, 32 players have competed in the prestigious contests.

Gametracker: Florida at Kentucky, 9 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, 98.1 FM, WBUL, Lexington.

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SOUTH CAROLINA 76, No. 18 KENTUCKY 68

KENTUCKY (14-4)

Washington 2-3 6-10 10, Richards 5-7 2-2 12, Knox 6-16 8-10 21, Diallo 1-5 3-6 5, Gilgeous-Alexander 3-9 0-0 6, Killeya-Jones 2-2 1-3 5, Gabriel 1-1 1-1 3, Vanderbilt 2-5 2-4 6, Calipari 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-49 23-36 68.

SOUTH CAROLINA (12-6)

Kotsar 3-4 6-9 12, Minaya 1-8 1-2 4, Silva 9-17 9-13 27, Myers 3-9 2-3 9, Hinson 1-2 0-0 3, Haase 1-3 0-0 2, Cudd 0-1 0-0 0, Doumbia 0-0 1-2 1, Gueye 0-0 0-2 0, Booker 5-12 6-7 18, Gravett 0-2 0-0 0, Beatty 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 23-61 25-38 76.

Halftime_Kentucky 37-34. 3-Point Goals_Kentucky 1-11 (Knox 1-8, Washington 0-1, Gilgeous-Alexander 0-1, Calipari 0-1), South Carolina 5-23 (Booker 2-9, Hinson 1-2, Myers 1-4, Minaya 1-4, Haase 0-1, Gravett 0-1, Beatty 0-2). Fouled Out_Haase, Gabriel, Diallo, Richards. Rebounds_Kentucky 34 (Knox 8), South Carolina 32 (Silva 8). Assists_Kentucky 7 (Vanderbilt 3), South Carolina 11 (Gravett 5). Total Fouls_Kentucky 32, South Carolina 27.