Ajae Petty dominates in Kentucky WBB victory over Kentucky State

As expected, Ajae Petty stepped up in a huge way for her team in Kentucky’s 88-71 exhibition victory over Kentucky State on Wednesday. Although it won’t count in the official stat book, the senior forward recorded her first double-double of the season, totaling 19 points and 13 rebounds in only 28 minutes.

After a transformative offseason, it was definitely the “Ajae Petty Show” at Rupp Arena.

Her offense was aggressive and quick, two of the things Petty worked on over the summer. She consistently found herself running up and down the court ahead of her teammates, looking for an open layup, which was likely given to her by guards Brooklynn Miles or Maddie Scherr, who combined for 10 assists.

Although Petty’s free throw shooting wasn’t the most consistent, she made up for it with hard-earned points in the paint. She shot both 8-10 FG but with just a 3-8 mark at the charity stripe. Petty also added two assists, two steals, and one block to her stat line.

7:25 3rd | UK 49, KSU 36@AjaePetty15 officially records a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds! pic.twitter.com/UYQ6sS4Ji9

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) November 1, 2023

For head coach Kyra Elzy’s team, points in the paint are crucial for success. 56 of Kentucky’s 88 points were in the paint, not including the 21 points that came from players being fouled under the basket.

At 6’3″, Petty used her height to her advantage over the not-so-tall Kentucky State Thorobreds. KSU consistently double-teamed her, definitely making her work for her points. Against SEC opponents in the regular season, Petty’s height and strength will be certainly a useful weapon for the Wildcats to utilize.

But, Petty’s offense wasn’t the only part of her performance that shined on Wednesday. The forward’s defense was clean and consistent. She collected two steals and a block with no fouls, while still being aggressive under the basket.

The Maryland native was electric in the first half, immediately dominating the boards and collecting 18 of her 19 total points. In the second half with Kentucky in charge, Petty played only nine minutes, most likely to give freshmen forwards Jordy Griggs and Janae Walker their first tastes of college basketball.

Elzy always speaks highly of Petty and is clearly very proud of her following this showing. Elzy labeled her as “committed” and “open to coaching” in the postgame press conference. Petty says she “appreciates what has come” for her and is “working every day to get better.”

We will definitely be seeing more from Ajae Petty this season.