Kansas tops Kentucky 65-61

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – UK battled, but couldn’t defend or hit shots when needed late, in Chicago Tuesday night in the 65-61 loss to Kansas.

The Jayhawks led by one point at halftime.  The game saw 12 lead changes; 10 in the second half alone.

Kevin Knox led all scores with 20 points, 7 rebounds.  Hamidou Diallo finished with 14 points.  Sacha Killeya-Jones had 8 points, 9 boards.

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk paced the Jayhawks with a team-high 17 points.

After two sub-par showings to tip the season, Kentucky did show promise against one of the top tier teams in the nation.  Falling to KU puts UK’s all-time Champions Classic record at 4-3.

The Cats shot 42 percent from the field and held Kansas to just 35 percent.

UK tallied 10 blocks to KU’s 2, but turned the ball over 7 more times than the Jayhawks did (18 to 11).

Next up for Kentucky, the Cats return to Rupp Arena to host East Tennessee State Friday night at 7 on the SEC Network.