FINAL: No. 1 South Carolina too much for Kentucky WBB, Wildcats fall 74-54

Kentucky Women’s Basketball came out of the gate against the best team in the nation looking like a tough challenge. However, dreams of an upset for the Wildcats were quickly sliced away once the second quarter came around.

No. 21 Kentucky (8-4, 1-1 in SEC) fell on the road to No. 1 South Carolina (15-1, 3-1) on Sunday afternoon, losing 74-54. The two sides were tied at 18 following the first 10 minutes of action before the Gamecocks proved to a national audience why they’re favorites to win the NCAA Tournament.

Final from Columbia. #CommitToIt pic.twitter.com/erJNo6FfyN

— Kentucky WBB (@KentuckyWBB) January 9, 2022

It couldn’t have been a better start for head coach Kyra Elzy and her Wildcat squad. Despite Rhyne Howard struggling to find her offensive groove, her teammates picked up the slack. UK actually held a 13-8 lead four-plus minutes into the affair after a made 3-pointer from point guard Jazmine Massengill.

South Carolina would fight back though. The Gamecocks eventually rattled off an 8-0 run to retake the lead at 16-13. Kentucky was able to keep pace the rest of the period, leading to an 18-18 score after one quarter. Howard was just 1-5, but the rest of her teammates shot 6-16 to help UK stay afloat.

However, that was as close as the ‘Cats would come to the season-changing upset. South Carolina outscored UK 23-9 in the second frame, building a double-digit lead that never slipped away. Kentucky went into the intermission trailing 41-27, but still with an opportunity to work its way back into the game.

South Carolina would have other plans, unfortunately. The Gamecocks won the third quarter 23-14 before cruising in the fourth to an easy 20-point victory. Kentucky drops to 1-1 in conference play this season after taking down No. 15 Georgia earlier in the week.

Howard shot an uncharacteristic 2-14 from the floor, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks. Robyn Benton was the high-scorer for Kentucky, adding 11 points on 5-13 shooting. Massengill, Treasure Hunt, and Dre’Una Edwards all added 10 points each.

As a team, Kentucky shot just 29.6 percent (21-71) from the field and a disappointing 5-11 from the free-throw line. Conversely, South Carolina shot 44.9 percent, outrebounded UK by 18, and scored 32 more points in the paint.