FINAL: Kentucky WBB avoids seventh consecutive loss, beats Florida 81-77

The vibes were high riding into Sunday’s game against the Florida Gators. Despite Kentucky having lost six straight games, it felt like a win was on the table for the ‘Cats. Then, Kentucky beat Florida 81-77 at home.

It was clear from the beginning that senior Eniya Russell came ready to play. In the first half alone, Russell had 11 points on 4-8 shooting. In the end, she would record 24 points while going 8-15 (53%) from the field. She showed that she is very capable of beating her player off the bounce to get to the hole. At the same time, she can knock it down from deep.

As a whole, the shooting saw a bit of an improvement against Florida. The ‘Cats shot 27-61 (44%) overall and 5-12 (42%) from three. Additionally, Cassidy Rowe and Kentucky drew a total of seven charges today. It seemed like the overall effort increased from that dreadful Auburn game. Thankfully, Kentucky’s efforts resulted in a win.

BIG. BLUE. DUB. 😤💙😺 pic.twitter.com/uOkzBWk3Uu

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) February 18, 2024

Following the pregame shenanigans where UK honored some its greatest legends and championship teams, it was time for tipoff. There was still a game to play, and this one was back and forth from the get-go. After the first quarter, the ‘Cats and Gators were knotted at 17. Then, at the half the good guys had a 36-34 advantage over Florida.

To start the second half, Florida was rolling behind a fierce 7-0 and then a 10-0 run to make it 51-46 in favor of the Gators. In games past, when adversity hit, Kentucky has seemed to crumble. However, that wasn’t the narrative on Sunday.

Next up is Mississippi State in Starkville (ew) on Thursday. Just three weeks ago, Kentucky fell to the Bulldogs 77-74 in an overtime loss. Kyra Elzy and company will look to get back in the win column yet again in The Hump. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. and it will streamed on SEC Network+.