LEXINGTON — First, it was a shootout. Then, it turned into a slugfest. It ended as a standoff.

At times spectacular and at others a slog, the only thing that mattered for No. 6 Kentucky on Tuesday was the result: another victory. UK, in its SEC home opener, dispatched Missouri, 90-77, at Rupp Arena.

"That was a good game," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "Look, people are going to play (Missouri) — you cannot run your offense. It ends up being, 'Spread the court, maybe a pick-and-roll dribble handoff, try to get in the lane, hope they collapse.' You're shooting some 3s. Hopefully you can make some layups."

The teams did that and more at the outset: They combined for 26 points (14 for Kentucky, 12 for Mizzou) in the first 4:03. The Wildcats (12-2, 2-0 SEC) went nearly four minutes without a point in the middle of the first half, and the Tigers didn’t make a field goal during a nine-minute stretch in the second half. The Wildcats, who led for more than 37 minutes, never were able to break free from the pesky Tigers. UK’s advantage remained between seven and 11 points from the 17:34 mark of the first half until 2:09 remained, when freshman big man Aaron Bradshaw’s layup pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 13, 86-73.

Kentucky won in spite of a largely underwhelming defensive effort. Missouri’s shooting percentage sat above 50% for nearly 33 minutes until its aforementioned dry spell — it missed 13 straight attempts after a dunk with 10:20 to play before finally making another bucket with 56 seconds to play — brought it down; the Tigers concluded with a 42.6 (26 for 61) field goal percentage.

"Defensively again, first half shaky," said Calipari, whose team led 47-42 at intermission. "Give (Missouri) credit with how they played (in the first half). And then second half, we played better. And maybe they just missed shots."

Noah Carter, Missouri's leading scorer (20 points) in the loss, admitted it was a bit of both.

"I feel like we got good shots," he said. "It was just a little stretch where we couldn't see the ball go through the hoop.

"Credit to them: They did play good defense. They ramped it up."

Just as it did in last week’s win at Florida, when it made only five 3-pointers, Kentucky notably struggled from distance Tuesday night. The Wildcats hit five of their first seven triples Tuesday, then missed 11 in a row. Freshman guard D.J. Wagner ended the drought with 12:05 remaining. Fellow freshman guard Rob Dillingham knocked down another on the following possession. UK finished with a 30.4% (7 of 23) conversion rate on 3s.

"We knew in this game, they force you to take 3s," Calipari said. "So you want to say, 'We're taking the inside-out, open 3s, uncontested' — which, we did. Missed a bunch of them today. I was surprised some of the misses we had. But they're not machines and they're not robots."

Even so, the Wildcats were nearly automatic at the free-throw line. And the Wildcats’ success at the charity stripe went a long way in keeping the Tigers (8-7, 0-2) at bay. Not only did UK make 10 more free throws than the visitors (27-17) but Calipari’s club was deadly accurate; the Wildcats sank 84.4% (27 for 32) of their free-throw attempts Tuesday.

"I told them, 'Guys, we want to attack the rim. I like 3s, but I love dunks and layups. So attack that rim,'" Calipari said, hitting the table for emphasis. "'You'll get fouled, (and) you'll make it.'"

Dillingham led all scorers with 23 points off the bench. The electric freshman was efficient in all areas, making 6 of 7 shots (3 for 3 on 3s) and 8 of 10 free throws.

"He's probably the best iso player in college basketball," Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. "That's what I believe."

Forward Tre Mitchell posted his second double-double (20 points, game-high 14 rebounds) in as many outings.

"It's not confidence (with him). It's his motor. And when his motor runs, he is a double-double," Calipari said. "These guys rely on him. ... He can play 4 and 5. He can shoot the 3. He can put it on the floor.

"What he proved today is he can rebound in traffic when there are all kinds of guys whacking at the ball. And he did it."

The fifth-year senior, now at his fourth school (he started his career at UMass before spending a season apiece at Texas and West Virginia, respectively), has had bigger games offensively. He had five 30-plus-point performances over two seasons with the Minutemen. But only three times has he pulled down more boards than the 14 he tallied Tuesday. And he's averaging 3.2 assists per game — a mark well outpacing his previous-best figure for a season (2.2 in 2020-21 at UMass).

Mitchell couldn't dispute the assertion he's playing at a higher level now than at any point in his college career.

"All around, yeah," he said. "But part of that is credited to the people I'm surrounded by. My assist numbers wouldn't look the way they were if these dudes weren't hitting shots.

"It's part of my journey at the same time. I've learned a lot everywhere I've been. This is my last go at this, so I'm able to draw on all my experiences and really figure out where I can fit in."

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: John Calipari's club defeats Missouri in SEC game