Hoosiers fall to Kentucky, 59-54

LEXINGTON, K.y. -- The IU men's basketball team fell to 5-3 on the season after losing 59-54 to the University of Kentucky Saturday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. The Hoosiers and Wildcats battled through 14 lead changes in the contest, 10 of which came in the first half.\nD.J. White paced the Hoosiers with a season-high of 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The junior forward also recorded two steals and four blocks in 39 minutes of play. Junior Lance Stemler went scoreless in the contest on 0-for-6 three-point shooting, but tallied nine rebounds in the loss.\nKentucky starters Randolph Morris and Bobby Perry each tallied a double-double in the game to spark the Wildcats (6-3) to victory.\nDown by three with 45.3 seconds remaining on the clock, the Hoosiers called a timeout and had an opportunity to cut down the deficit or overtake the Wildcats' lead. However, IU forced a desperation 3-pointer that missed, giving possession to the Wildcats. Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks sank a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to secure the victory for the Wildcats.\nBoth teams struggled shooting the ball from the three-point line throughout the game; the Hoosiers hit just 4-of-24 3-pointers while the Wildcats tallied only 1-of-12 in their victory. The Hoosiers also shot just 30.6 percent from the field in the game, but outrebounded the Wildcats 42-39.\nSophomore center Ben Allen sat out the contest due to illness.