LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — With Missouri suddenly in front and momentum gone, Kentucky needed someone to stop the slide.
Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh did.
Oweh knocked down a pull-up jumper with just over a minute to play, part of a closing stretch in which the veteran guards scored Kentucky's final 15 points to lift the Wildcats to a 78-72 victory Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
It was a very different ending from the last time these teams met.
When Missouri visited Rupp Arena in February, the Tigers finished the game with a 15-2 run to beat Kentucky. On Thursday, it looked like the same script might repeat. A 16-point Kentucky lead had turned into a one-point deficit with 2:34 remaining.
This time, though, the Wildcats delivered the closing run.
"They had their punch," Oweh, who led Kentucky with 21 points, told ESPN afterward. "But I just said we can't act like we're down. We just need to stay composed."
It's the first time since 2018 that Kentucky has won two games in the SEC Tournament, and it sets up a third-round matchup with No. 1 seed Florida on Thursday at 1 p.m. (ESPN).
Five Things That Decided the Game
1. The Early Control
Kentucky set the tone before halftime, attacking the paint and forcing Missouri into a reactive game. Slow starts seem to be a thing of the past.
The Wildcats scored 26 of their 38 first-half points inside and shot 48 percent before the break, building a 38–29 halftime lead that forced the Tigers to chase the game the rest of the afternoon.Â
Missouri eventually caught up, but that early margin proved just large enough, and gave Kentucky cushion to absorb the run.
2. The Biggest Lead — and the Problem It Created
Early in the second half, Kentucky looked ready to turn the game into a runaway.
A three-pointer from Collin Chandler helped push the lead to 53–37 with 14:33 remaining, the Wildcats' largest margin of the game.Â
But that margin also marked the moment Missouri started playing with nothing to lose, and the Tigers' comeback began. One of ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's "last four in" before the game started, the Tigers had plenty to play for.
 3. The Player Who Nearly Stole It
Missouri forward Mark Mitchell delivered the most dominant performance of the afternoon.
Mitchell scored 32 points on 13-of-21 shooting, repeatedly attacking the rim and hitting mid-range jumpers that dragged the Tigers back into the game.Â
He scored 23 points in the second half alone, including the basket that briefly gave Missouri the lead with just over two minutes remaining.
 4. Kentucky's Answer
Tournament games often hinge on a two-minute stretch.
When Missouri finally grabbed the lead, Kentucky responded immediately.
Aberdeen's free throws put the Wildcats back ahead, and Oweh followed with a clutch jumper to stretch the margin back to two possessions. Kentucky then closed the final seconds at the line.
That response turned Missouri's breakthrough into a brief moment instead of a turning point.
 5. The Numbers That Tell the Story
The box score explains why Kentucky prevailed.
The Wildcats shot 49.1 percent from the field, hit 18 of 23 free throws, and forced 15 Missouri turnovers. Kentucky turned it over only nine times.
Aberdeen finished with 16 for the Wildcats and Collin Chandler had 15.Â
Missouri actually won the rebounding battle 35–27 and shot 57 percent in the second half, but the Tigers' slow start — and Kentucky's efficiency and resilience — ultimately proved the difference.Â
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