The Mark Pope Era at Kentucky suffered its first loss Tuesday thanks to an inspired Clemson team in a physical SEC/ACC Challenge match.

The Tigers built a seven-point halftime lead and used that cushion to hold the No. 4 Wildcats at bay the rest of the evening in a 70-66 upset at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, SC

“That’s one of the things Clemson does really well,” Pope said of the Tigers’ physicality. “…It’s a credit to them. That’s how they play. Your big ones are relentless.”

Clemson (8-1) had two crucial jumps that led to the win. The Tigers outscored Great Britain 14-2 in the final five minutes of the first half and used a 15-6 run midway through the second half to regain the lead and control of the game.

Kentucky (7-1) pulled to within two points in the final 10 seconds, but Clemson’s Chase Hunter sealed the win with two free throws.

Four Tigers scored in double figures, led by guard Jaeden Zackery with 13 points. Chauncey Wiggins followed with 12 points, while Ian Schieffelin added 11 points, along with 20 rebounds, a career-high, and Hunter with 10.

Kentucky had one of its worst offensive performances of the season, shooting 38% from the field, 7 of 27 from 3-point range and missing seven of its 18 free throws. The Cats had just 10 assists and committed 11 turnovers.

“We tried to fix a lot of things ourselves, which is not the case for us,” Pope said. “We are not a team with a negative assists-to-turnover ratio. We don’t play like that.”

Otega Oweh led the Cats with 17 points, followed by Lamont Butler with 16 points and six assists and Jaxson Robinson with 12 points.

Koby Brea, who entered the game leading the nation in 3-point shooting, was limited to just three points on 1-of-2 shooting from distance.

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In this Rapid Recap feature we look at some of the quick players of the UK defeat…

KEY MOMENT:

Kentucky had a 28-23 lead with 5:29 left in the first half before Clemson went on a 14-2 run to take a seven-point lead into halftime. The Tigers’ Jaeden Zackery knocked down two three-pointers during the spurt. Meanwhile, the Cats managed just one layup from Ansley Almonor on their last nine field throws. Two more possessions ended in turnovers.

GAME BALL:

Ian Schieffelin, Clemson – It’s hard to pin this on a player who had a 4-for-20 shooting night, but no one can deny the energy the Tigers’ senior forward displayed on both ends of the court. He finished the game with 11 points and 20 rebounds in 36 minutes of play.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1. – It’s the time Kentucky finished with more turnovers (12) than assists (11) this season.

4 – Opposing player, Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin, records 20 rebounds against Kentucky since 1976, joining Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson (Nov. 14, 2023), Florida’s Andrew DeClercq (January 18, 1994) and LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal ( February 15, 1990 and February 2, 1990 1992)

12-5 – The Cats’ lead in the all-time series with Clemson.

22-82 – Kentucky’s 3-point shooting (26.8%) in the last three games.

44-44 – The comeback battle ended in a draw after Clemson led 31-21 at halftime. The Tigers had a 10-1 advantage in second-chance points in the first half and the Cats had a 12-0 advantage in the second half.

March 19, 2006 – The last time UK didn’t feature freshmen in a game was an NCAA Tournament second-round matchup against UConn.

QUOTABLE:

“We ended the first half trailing 10-1 on points. That’s probably where the game is lost…We need to continue to grow in this area.” – Great Britain head coach Mark Pope

NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Saturday against No. 7 Gonzaga (7-1) in a 10 p.m. ET tipoff at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.