Against one of the best offensive teams in all of men’s college basketball, Mississippi State’s defense was not up for the challenge.
No. 8 Kentucky raced out to an 18-point halftime lead Wednesday night, withstood a Bulldogs run early in the second half and went on to a 90-77 victory, sending MSU to its third loss in four games to open Southeastern Conference play.
The Wildcats shot 55.6 percent from the floor, the highest percentage the Bulldogs (12-5, 1-3 SEC) have allowed all season and only the second time a team has made more than half its shots against MSU. Antonio Reeves led the way for Kentucky (13-3, 3-1) with 27 points, making eight of 12 field goals and all nine of his free throw attempts. The Wildcats were able to get to the foul line 27 times, compared to just 10 for the Bulldogs.
MSU’s offense was also sloppy in the first half, turning the ball over eight times leading to 10 Kentucky points. But the Bulldogs came out firing to start the second half, using a 14-2 run within the first three minutes out of the break to cut their deficit to six.
Tolu Smith, who was held to four points in the first half, was the catalyst for that run, scoring three times in the paint and hitting a pair of free throws, and Dashawn Davis and D.J. Jeffries each connected on a 3-pointer. Smith, in his fifth game back from a foot injury, finished with a season-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting to go along with eight rebounds.
The Wildcats, though, quickly restored their lead to double digits, where it would remain for the rest of the game. Freshman Josh Hubbard, MSU’s best outside shooter, was just 1-for-9 from deep.
Trey Fort played 18 minutes, his most since Nov. 18 against Washington State, and had 13 points. Cameron Matthews had a solid all-around night with eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Bulldogs return to Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday to host last-place Vanderbilt. The Commodores, who lost to the likes of Presbyterian, San Francisco and Western Carolina in non-conference play, are all the way down at No. 250 in the NET rankings — 69 spots lower than Southern, MSU’s worst non-conference loss.
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