By Nick Veronica

UB led No. 1 Kentucky at halftime Saturday at Rupp Arena but was overmatched in the second half on the way to an 71-52 loss.

Junior guard Jarryn Skeete kept Buffalo in the game early and led all players with 16 points, including 4 of 6 from three-point range.

Skeete’s jumper with 14:21 to go put UB ahead 45-43, but the Bulls (1-1) went cold shortly after and were outscored 28-7 the rest of the way. The halftime score was 38-33 Bulls.

Kentucky was led by freshmen Tyler Ulis and Trey Lyles, who each scored 12 points off the bench. Kentucky’s bench outscored its starters, 45-26. Rebounds were 46-27 in favor of the Wildcats.

Kentucky spends nearly nine times more on its men’s basketball program than UB does. According to the Department of Education, Kentucky spent $16,198,525 last year to UB’s $1,848,705.

UB’s Justin Moss threw down a huge dunk over Kentucky stud Willie Cauley-Stein late in the first half. Deadspin’s headline was “Willie Cauley-Stein Gets Posterized By Some Dude From Buffalo.”

Starters: UB – Will Regan, Justin Moss, Jarryn Skeete, Lamonte Bearden, Shannon Evans. Kentucky – Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress, Karl-Anthony Towns, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison.

Next: UB goes to UT-Arlington for an 8 p.m. contest on Tuesday.