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.
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.
Top 10
- 1New
Urban Meyer
Coach alarmed by UT fan turnout at OSU
- 2
Bowl insurance
Historic policies for Hunter, Shedeur
- 3Hot
CFP home games
Steve Spurrier calls for change
- 4
Nick Saban endorsed
Lane Kiffin suggests as commish
- 5
Diego Pavia
Vandy QB ruling forces change
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
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.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard