FINAL: No. 14 Kentucky WBB falls to DePaul at Rupp Arena, 94-85

On an exciting night where Matthew Mitchell was honored throughout the evening, his old team couldn’t gift him a win. No. 14 Kentucky Women’s Basketball (6-2) fell to the DePaul Blue Demons (8-2) by a final score of 94-85 inside of Rupp Arena on Thursday night.

It was a high-scoring affair that saw four Wildcats hit double-figures, led by a game-high 22 points from senior guard Robyn Benton. UK shot 45.7 percent from the floor but failed to hit a single three-pointer all night, finishing 0-14. Starting forward Dre’Una Edwards did not play as she was suspended pregame for not upholding the academic standards of the program.

Kentucky started off the night strong, securing offensive rebounds and playing at a high pace. DePaul was quick to respond though, staying steady with the ‘Cats through the opening period. The Blue Demons led after the first 10 minutes 24-22, shooting 11-16 from the field compared to just 8-19 for UK.

To begin the second quarter, Kentucky made its first four shots, creating an 8-2 run that pushed them ahead 30-26, forcing a DePaul timeout. Foul trouble would then begin to plague the ‘Cats as Rhyne Howard, Jada Walker, and Olivia Owens all picked up two personal fouls. Howard eventually picked up her third with roughly 70 seconds until the half.

DePaul would take advantage of Kentucky’s star being on the bench, building a 48-43 lead at the intermission.

Thanks to Howard, Kentucky shot itself out of a cannon in the third period. She poured in two and-ones to put UK back in front. However, she was called for her fourth personal foul not even a minute in. Luckily for UK, DePaul couldn’t avoid getting called for fouls either. 32 seconds into the third frame and Kentucky was already in the bonus.

With Howard back on the bench, DePaul was able to build a nine-point lead at 64-55. Heading into the fourth quarter, Kentucky trailed 73-65.

DePaul would keep its distance from Kentucky early in the final frame, eventually building a double-digit lead. UK managed to trim that advantage down to as few as six at 83-77, but that was as close as it would get. DePaul won the last 10 minutes to secure the 94-85 victory.

Benton finished with 22 points on 11-15 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Walker and treasure Hunt both added 18 apiece while Howard contributed 12 in her limited minutes.