Kentucky WBB ends two-game losing skid with 75-45 win over Furman

Kentucky women’s basketball (5-7) found themselves back in the win column after a crucial victory over Furman (7-6) on Sunday afternoon at Rupp Arena. The ‘Cats were coming off a loss to No. 18 Louisville, 73-61, and needed a win to build some momentum heading into SEC play at the start of the new year.

From the get-go, Kentucky looked solid and stayed that way all game, shooting 31-57 (54.4%) from the field. It resulted in a 75-45 win for the Wildcats over Furman, ending a two-game losing skid.

As a team, Kentucky went 7-17 from three against the Paladins. Sophomore Saniah Tyler stepped up big from the perimeter, going 3-3 while leading her team in scoring with 17 points. She added a rebound, two assists, and a steal. Also with a big game was Emma King. The veteran has found herself playing multiple positions on the court, and Sunday was no different. King showed her versatility with eight points and five rebounds. She also had two steals and an assist — an overall solid performance from the grad student.

Senior Ajae Petty finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, just shy of her seventh double-double of the season. The forward also had three assists, two steals, and a block.

Senior Maddie Scherr had another great game with 13 points and five rebounds. The guard added eight assists and five steals with a block. Despite committing two fouls in the first five minutes of the first quarter, Scherr cleaned it up and was able to make an impact for the remainder of the game.

Despite Kentucky’s 20 turnovers, Furman committed 25. While not ideal, Kentucky did capitalize off of Furman’s miscues, scoring 25 points off the Paladins’ mistakes. Furman only scored 11 off UK’s.

As for the Paladins, Sunday’s matchup was uncharacteristically bad for them. Furman only shot 18-58 (31%) from the field, despite having five players who average double-digit scoring coming into the matchup. Leading the Paladins was forward Kate Johnson with 12. The junior also had 10 rebounds, marking a double-double. Johnson was the only Paladin aside from Sydney Ryan (11) in double-digits, while Kentucky had four players in double-digits (Petty, Scherr, Tyler, and Eniya Russell).

Every Wildcat that hit the floor made an impact on the outcome of Sunday’s game, including freshmen Janae Walker and Jordy Griggs. Walker totaled four points, two rebounds, and a block. Griggs didn’t see the floor until the end of the fourth quarter, but still added a rebound to the team’s 35 total.

The ‘Cats will be back in action at Rupp Arena on Thursday, Dec. 21 to take on Lipscomb. Tipoff is set for 11:00 a.m. EST and can be found on the SEC Network+.