NEW ORLEANS (AP and KPR) — Doron Lamb scored 22 points, and Kentucky won its eighth national championship, holding off Kansas for a 67-to-59 victory Monday night. The Wildcats (38-2) led by as many as 18 points in the first half and were still up 15 with 5:13 to play. But Kansas (32-7), a team which rallied from several big deficits this season, was able to cut the deficit to five in the final moments. It was 62-to-57 with 1:37 to play. Kentucky closed the game by making five of seven free throws over the final 1:11. Kentucky's Anthony Davis, only the second freshmen to be selected national player of the year, had six points on 1-of-10 shooting but finished with 16 rebounds and tied the championship-game record with six blocks. Tyshawn Taylor had 19 points for the Jayhawks, and All-America Thomas Robinson had 18 on 6-of-17 shooting and had 17 rebounds. The Wildcats' 41-27 halftime lead was one of the biggest in title game history. Kentucky's last title came in 1998 and that year the Wildcats set the record for largest halftime deficit overcome, rallying from a 41-31 deficit to beat Utah 78-69. Jayhawk Nation may be in mourning over the loss to Kentucky, but this year's team more than exceeded the expectations of many KU fans. Kansas made it through three of its five 2012 tournament wins in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion.