National Basketball Association
Kentucky 90, Missouri 77
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Where: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, Lexington, Kentucky
Officials:
# Jeb Hartness, # Byron Jarrett, # Joe Lindsay
Attendance:
20086
By Field Level Media
Rob Dillingham scored 23 points and Tre Mitchell had 20 points and 14 rebounds as No. 6 Kentucky pulled away from Missouri for a 90-77 win on Tuesday in Lexington, Ky.
D.J. Wagner scored 16 points and Antonio Reeves added 14 for the Wildcats (12-2, 2-0 Southeastern Conference), who improved to 9-0 all-time against Missouri at home and 15-3 against the Tigers overall.
Noah Carter scored 20 points, Sean East II had 19 and Tamar Bates added 18 for Missouri (8-7, 0-2).
Kentucky outrebounded Missouri 42-27 and outscored the Tigers 27-17 at the free-throw line in an otherwise evenly played game.
Both teams enjoy torrid shooting starts. Mitchell hit two 3-pointers in the first minute of the game to get the Wildcats rolling and the Tigers hit their first four shots, including 3-pointers from Nick Honor and Carter.
After East scored to put Missouri up 10-8, Kentucky gained the upper hand with an 11-2 run. Wagner scored five points in that surge and Reeves scored four.
Missouri cut its deficit to 22-18 on a layup by Jesus Carralero Martin and a dunk by Connor Vanover. But Reed Sheppard and Dillingham came off the Kentucky bench to reignite the Wildcats with 3-pointers.
Kentucky pushed its lead to 35-21 with Dillingham scoring on a drive and hitting a 3-pointer. The Tigers stabilized by scoring 10 straight points, with East scoring five, and they got within three points with 3:11 left in the half.
The Wildcats led 47-42 heading into the second half, then pushed out to a 55-46 margin with Aaron Bradshaw hitting a mid-range jumper and Justin Edwards converting a layup.
Missouri was able to trade baskets and free throws with Kentucky -- getting within seven points multiple times -- until the Wildcats finally pulled away in the last 2:09.
Mitchell hit two free throws, Bradshaw converted an alley-oop layup and Dillingham hit four free throws to seal the victory.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Missouri |
|
Kentucky |
Noah Carter 20 |
Scoring |
Rob Dillingham 23 |
Jesus Carralero Martin 4 |
Assists |
Reed Sheppard 4 |
Sean East II 4 |
Rebounds |
Tre Mitchell 14 |
Noah Carter 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Rob Dillingham 8 |
Noah Carter 2 |
Steals |
Rob Dillingham 2 |
Aidan Shaw 2 |
Blocks |
Tre Mitchell 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Missouri
|
77 |
42.6 |
8-28 |
17-22 |
14 |
23 |
6 |
6 |
11 |
Kentucky
|
90 |
50.0 |
7-23 |
27-32 |
14 |
34 |
3 |
6 |
13 |