FINAL: UK, Rhyne Howard's comeback effort falls short against No. 1 South Carolina

Rhyne Howard put on full display her WNBA potential against the No. 1 team in the country, but she couldn’t put it together for an entire 40 minutes.

On Thursday night, Kentucky Women’s Basketball (9-11, 2-8 in SEC) fell 59-50 to the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks (22-1, 10-1 in SEC) despite a furious fourth-quarter comeback from the Wildcats. After not recording double-figures in scoring over any of the first three periods, UK poured in 24 points in the final frame to put the pressure on Carolina. But Kentucky needed a similar effort all night if it wanted a shot at the upset as the Gamecocks fended off a red-hot Howard to earn the win.

Fought hard but came up short. Final from Memorial. pic.twitter.com/UTCCh02BO2

— Kentucky WBB (@KentuckyWBB) February 11, 2022

Kentucky got off to a slow start against the Gamecocks, quickly falling into a 6-0 hole that ballooned to a 14-4 advantage in the blink of an eye. Howard would get her first shot of the night to fall with under 30 seconds left in the first period to help keep the ‘Cats alive. South Carolina held a comfortable 16-8 lead after 10 minutes, outrebounding UK 15-8 in the process.

The second quarter was much of the same for both sides. SC continued to pound the ball inside and dominated the offensive glass. The Gamecocks led by as many as 16 points in the frame before Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy broke out a zone defense that gave Carolina fits. UK held the opposition scoreless for over seven minutes, trimming the lead down to as little as 24-17 with just half a minute until the half.

Aliyah Boston would end the drought right before the intermission though as South Carolina took a 26-17 advantage into the locker room. Boston posted eight points and nine rebounds in the first half while Howard went for five points and four rebounds.

Unfortunately, the Gamecocks would figure out the puzzle with ease. South Carolina immediately went on a 9-2 run out of the break before extending its lead to as many as 17 before the third quarter came to a close. Heading into the final 10 minutes, Kentucky trailed 42-26 as the ‘Cats were down to just 30.6 percent shooting overall.

UK finally picked up the energy to begin the fourth quarter, deploying a fullcourt pressure that once again confused South Carolina. Specifically, Howard, whenever she was able to touch the ball, fought around the Gamecock defense for several timely scores. She exploded for 16 points in the fourth quarter alone as Kentucky got as close as seven points down the stretch, however, the effort was still too little too late.

Howard missed a jumper with 1:22 left that would have cut the USC lead down to five. Carolina would hit enough free throws to seal the nine-point win and avoid the upset. Howard finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Olivia Owens was the next highest-scoring Wildcat with seven points to go along with her three rebounds.