Rob Dillingham scored 23 points and Tre Mitchell had 20 points and 14 rebounds as No. 6 Kentucky pulled away from Missouri 90-77 Tuesday in Lexington, Ken.
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-point jumpers in 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-point jumpers.
Kentucky pushed its lead to 35-21 with Dillingham scoring on a drive and hitting a 3-point jumper. 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 run-out.
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