No. 24 Kentucky Falls to No. 15 Kansas
Zoom Diallo scored 24 points and Malachi Moreno had a career-high 19, but No. 24 Kentucky lost to 15th-ranked Kansas 89-69 on Tuesday night at the Champions Classic in Chicago.
Turnovers were an issue for the Cats in the game. UK had 15 turnovers and Kansas turned those into 22 points. Kansas had 10 turnovers, but Kentucky had no points off those miscues.
Kentucky (2-1) scored first on a Diallo baseline jumper, but Kansas took the lead with a three. The Cats got baskets from Alex Wilkins and Milan Momcilovic to lead 6-3 before Kansas scored to get within one.
Wilkins and Diallo scored again to give UK a 10-5 lead and force a KU timeout after the Cats made their first five shots from the floor. After the timeout, the Jayhawks scored six in a row to lead 11-10.
Kentucky got a three from Diallo and two free throws from Mason Williams to lead 15-11. However, Kansas scored the next six to take the lead back, 17-15. Braydon Hawthorne tied the game with a basket, but the Jayhawks scored the next nine to lead 26-17.
Diallo scored in the lane, but the Jayhawks answered with a bucket on their end. Williams made two free throws but Kansas scored on the other end to lead 30-21. Moreno scored for the Cats but Kansas hit a three to lead 33-23. Diallo responded with a three and Wilkins hit two free throws to get UK within five. But Kansas scored the next five to take a 38-28 lead.
Franck Kepnang hit one-of-two at the line before KU scored to lead by 11. Hawthorne scored at the rim, but the Jayhawks answered on the other end to lead 42-31. Kentucky got layups from Wilkins and Diallo, then a Diallo free throw to get within six. But Kansas scored the final four points of the half to lead 46-36 at the break.
Kansas scored the first two points of the second half before Ousmane N’Diaye scored at the rim for the Cats. After a Kansas three, Diallo answered with a three of his own and it was 51-41. However, the Jayhawks scored the next 12 to lead by 22.
A Diallo jumper made it 63-43 but KU responded with two free throws. Diallo scored again and Moreno added a bucket to cut the deficit to 65-47. Another Diallo bucket got the Cats within 16 but Kansas scored the next three to lead 68-49.
Moreno scored before Kansas made a free throw. Moreno then scored again to cut the deficit to 69-53, but KU scored the next five to lead by 20.
Momcilovic hit a three, then N’Diaye scored on a dunk to make it 74-59. Kansas scored the next three before Moreno converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to 77-62. However, Kansas scored five in a row to lead by 20.
Moreno scored underneath to cut the lead to 82-64 but the Cats would get no closer.
Kentucky returns to action on Friday, hosting Northern Arizona at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.
