Mizzou falls to No. 6 Kentucky in Lexington; Tigers now 0-2 in conference play

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Despite getting into striking distance multiple times, the Mizzou men's basketball team could not pull off an upset in Lexington, on Tuesday. The No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats topped MU 90-77.

With the loss, head coach Dennis Gates and company fell to 8-7 on the season and 0-2 in SEC play.

Despite trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, the Tigers made it a true battle with the Wildcats in those opening 20 minutes, as guard Sean East and forward Noah Carter put up a combined 28 points to start the game. MU only trailed by five at halftime, as a result.

UK spread the love, as far as scoring went, in the first half, as well. Rob Dillingham, Tre Mitchell and D.J. Wagner all got into double-digit scoring, combining for 32 of Kentucky's 47 first half points. Out of the locker room, the Wildcats got off to another hot start, stretching the lead to 10 points.

Mizzou never backed down, constantly fighting back into the game, much thanks to an 11 point half from guard Tamar Bates. However, No. 6 Kentucky kept the momentum and the lead on their side through the vast majority of the game.

Carter led the team with a season-best 20 points in the loss. East and Bates were right behind him with 19 and 18 points, respectively.

Turnovers were a killer, once again, for Mizzou, as the Wildcats scored 16 points off of 11 Tiger turnovers on Tuesday night.

Up next - Gates and company will host South Carolina at Mizzou Arena, on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tip off is slated for 2:30 p.m.