Brooklynn Miles had a career night despite Kentucky's 91-74 loss to Alabama

In Kentucky women’s basketball’s 17-point loss to Alabama, everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. The game started off on the right note as the ‘Cats led 20-16 after the first quarter, but Alabama would outscore Kentucky 75-54 the rest of the way.

However, there was one bright spot in Kentucky’s loss. Junior Brooklynn Miles.

The 5-4 guard was the definition of “heart over height” against the Tide on Sunday. In 32 minutes, Miles would score a career-high 14 points on 6-7 (85.7%) shooting. It didn’t matter what Alabama did defensively. Miles was carving everyone up while putting on an offensive clinic. For someone who is a pass-first player, she sure can attack the rim with some serious authority.

No one is stopping Brooklynn from getting to the basket 😤@miles_brooklynn pic.twitter.com/XzQ26Thl0x

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) January 28, 2024

Being a leader on the offensive end of the floor

Following the loss to Alabama, Coach Kyra Elzy took the podium and spoke about just how good Miles was against the Tide.

“I thought she answered the call of trying to be a vocal leader, attacking, pushing the tempo,” Elzy said. “I really challenged her to finish at the rim through contact, which she did that… But I thought her defensive tenacity and her vocal leadership is exactly where we need to be.”

Miles also recorded five assists, three rebounds, and a steal on Sunday. She had an incredible all-around game and she is starting to flourish in her role as the team’s point guard. This was the first real sign of Miles being a score-first player, and it clearly worked out.

Kentucky will go up against a well-above-average defense in Mississippi State in their next game. Allowing just 61.0 points per game, the Bulldogs will pose a strong challenge for Miles offensively. However, her outing against Alabama on Sunday should be the ultimate confidence builder heading into Thursday’s game.