FINAL: Kentucky runs out of gas down the stretch in tough 82-78 road loss to Texas

No. 15 Kentucky had plenty of opportunities to leave Austin with a win on Saturday night, but a late-game collapse cost the Wildcats in an 82-78 loss to the unranked Texas Longhorns.

Down Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson due to injury, freshman guard Travis Perry was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time in his college career. The shorthanded ‘Cats fought hard for about 38 minutes before the mistakes piled up in the final two. An 11-0 Texas run during the final three minutes sealed the deal.

Amari Williams finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. He was aided by 20 points and five rebounds from Otega Oweh, but a lack of true ball handlers proved costly once crunch time hit. Perry finished with six points, three assists, and three turnovers. Texas star freshman Tre Johnson dropped a season-high 32 points and nine rebounds for Texas while Tramon Mark poured in 26 points of his own.

It was one of the worst shooting performances of the season for Kentucky, which shot 41.9 percent from the field and just 6-24 from beyond the arc. A 20-28 mark from the free-throw line allowed the ‘Cats to lead this game for nearly 23 minutes. But 58 combined points for Johnson and Mark was too much to overcome.

Not having Butler and Robinson makes this loss a bit easier to swallow, but there’s no denying that Kentucky gave this win away down the stretch.

The opening segment of this one was all about the ‘Cats. Kentucky jumped out to a 9-2 lead while Texas missed six of its first seven shots. The first media timeout quickly calmed the Longhorn nerves though. Texas responded by making six of its next nine shots and later stole the lead midway through the opening half.

Texas led by as many as five, 28-23, before Kentucky flipped the script back in its favor. The Wildcats finished the half on an 18-9 run to take a 41-37 lead into the break. Williams, who had nine points, five rebounds, and two assists at halftime, even hit his first three-pointer of the season in a late-clock situation. Ansley Almonor and Oweh each chipped in eight first-half points while Trent Noah was up to seven points and four rebounds.

At least through the first 20 minutes, Kentucky did a solid job defending Johnson. He still had 15 points but on 6-14 shooting (1-6 3PT). Mark added 11 points while no other Longhorn had more than five at the intermission. The shorthanded ‘Cats were in a good spot considering the circumstances.

The second half started out sloppy on both ends with nine combined turnovers less than five minutes in. Seven fouls were called in that span too as the flow of the game tightened up. It didn’t get much prettier either. Both teams were in the bonus at the 12-minute media timeout, but Texas was slowly beginning to win the slugfest. Kentucky went five minutes without a field goal as the Longhorns took a 54-51 lead.

Offense was becoming tough for the ‘Cats. Another three-minute field goal drought came at the worst time, but free throws allowed UK to hang around. A freebie from Williams even gave Kentucky a 59-58 lead with 7:45 left in regulation. That created enough momentum for a 6-0 run that put UK up by five, forcing a Texas timeout.

It would be sweaty palms time down the stretch. Kentucky was clinging to a 69-66 advantage at the final media timeout but Texas went on a timely 8-0 run to sneak ahead by four with 95 seconds to go. Too many mistakes began to stack up for the ‘Cats. There would be no comeback in the final possessions as Texas picked up a much-needed resume victory.