No. 8 Kentucky men’s basketball defeated Mississippi State 90-77 inside Rupp Arena on Wednesday.
Antonio Reeves was the highlight player of the game for the Cats, notching 27 points to lead all scorers.
The Cats entered the game on the back of a 97-92 overtime defeat on the road at Texas A&M, Kentucky’s third loss of the season and first in conference play.
Looking to get back on the right foot, the Wildcats rolled out a starting lineup of Justin Edwards, Reeves, D.J. Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw and Tre Mitchell.
It was a slow start for both teams with the score standing at 8-5 by the first media timeout and the Bulldogs finding themselves on a scoring drought that lasting over three minutes just five minutes into the game.
Coming out of the break, however, it became clear that Kentucky seemed to have woken up.
Kentucky wouldn’t have the freedom to easily run away with the game though, as the Bulldogs quickly hit back-to-back 3-pointers to get back within four.
The Cats bounced back, however, extending the lead back to double digits and holding a nine-point lead by the under-eight-minute timeout.
Kentucky continued to push the gap further, leading by as many as 18 points before the under-four timeout saw the Cats lead 40-24 on the back of 14 points from Reeves.
Heading into the halftime break the lead would once again be 18 points, with Reeves and Rob Dillingham combining for 26.
Unfortunately for the home fans in attendance, Kentucky started the second half flat, being out-scored 14-2 by the Bulldogs, shrinking the gap from 18 points down to six.
Kentucky responded, however, pushing the lead back up to double figures with Mitchell becoming the third Cat in the contest to surpass 10 points.
The Cats would continue to keep pace as the minutes ticked away, leading by 16 with under four minutes left to play.
With the Kentucky lead in double figures, the Bulldogs had little hope of a comeback, falling short by 13 with 90 points allowed.
Kentucky will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 20, inside Rupp Arena against the Georgia Bulldogs. Tip-off against UGA is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET and will air live on the SEC Network.
