COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball recorded its first-ever win against Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, beating the No. 21 Wildcats, 69-60, in front of an electric crowd at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers offense did enough to win, but the patented defense of head coach Cuonzo Martin's squad was special, holding Kentucky to just 31.3 percent shooting from the field and 10 percent from deep (2-of-20). The Black & Gold was especially suffocating in the first half, holding Kentucky to just 18 points, the lowest point total in any half for Kentucky in the John Calipari era.

The Tigers were led once again by their veterans, as senior forward Jordan Barnett (St. Louis, Mo.) and graduate senior guard Kassius Robertson (Toronto, Ontario) had 16 points each. The pair were especially effective in the second half, scoring 26 of Mizzou's 41 points in the period. Robertson was a steadying presence at the free throw line down the stretch when Mizzou needed it most, going a perfect 8-8 from the stripe to ice the game away.

TURNING POINT

After the halftime break, Kentucky came out with purpose, going on a quick 14-5 run to cut Mizzou's 10-point halftime advantage to just one point. The Black & Gold had an answer though, going on an 11-2 run of their own in just over a minute to stretch the lead back out to double-digits.

The spurt was sparked by freshman forward Jontay Porter (Columbia, Mo.), who started the run by hitting a three-pointer from the top of the key. On Kentucky's next trip down the floor, junior guard Cullen VanLeer (Pacific, Mo.) stole the ball and hit the deck to tip it to Porter. Porter would then go the length of the court for a solo fast break hoop. The run was emphatically punctuated by Barnett, who hit his first two threes in back-to-back sequence to stretch the Tigers' lead back out to double-digits, once again.

TOP TIGERS

• Mizzou's senior leadership led the way once again, as graduate senior guard Kassius Robertson and senior forward Jordan Barnett each chipped in 16 points to lead the Tigers. It is the 12th time this season Robertson has led the team in scoring, and the sixth time for Barnett.
• Porter had another near double-double, going for 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and three blocks.  
• Freshman forward Jeremiah Tilmon (East St. Louis, Ill.) had another solid performance following his strong showing in Tuscaloosa. Tilmon went for nine points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting, five rebounds, and two blocks.

UP NEXT

Mizzou heads back out onto the road to take on Ole Miss on Tuesday, Feb. 6,  in Oxford, Mississippi. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and can be viewed on the SEC Network.