FINAL: Kentucky WBB falls to Austin Peay 68-63, marking first loss of season

On Tuesday night, the Kentucky Wildcats (2-1) women’s basketball took on the Austin Peay Governors (1-2) at Georgetown College’s Davis-Reid Alumni Gym while their usual spot, Memorial Coliseum, continues to undergo renovations.

Losing by a final score of 68-63, the Lady Cats were clearly incomplete without senior Maddie Scherr, who was unavailable due to an ankle injury suffered in Saturday’s game against USC Upstate. But even if Scherr was in the game, it might not have mattered.

A strong fourth quarter fight wasn't enough; Cats drop to the Govs in Georgetown. pic.twitter.com/eCGOEHLJC0

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) November 15, 2023

The Wildcats started off extremely slow, only scoring 10 points (5-15 FG) in the first quarter. The ‘Cats made it clear for the third game in a row that shooting from the perimeter is their weak spot. Austin Peay must’ve known that going into tonight’s matchup. Not only did Kentucky shoot 4-20 from three, but they also only scored 34 points in the paint.

As for the defense? It wasn’t great. Kentucky gave up six three-pointers and allowed the Governors to shoot 53 percent overall. Under the basket, Kentucky was aggressive, but not smart. The ‘Cats were full-court pressing from the beginning of the night, which more than likely led to their sloppy defensive performance.

As a team, Kentucky gave up 17 fouls (seven of those were in the fourth quarter alone), which was actually less than Austin Peay’s 26. The difference? Austin Peay capitalized off of their free throws combined with their perimeter shooting. Kentucky shot 13-20 from the free throw line compared to Austin Peay’s 8-13.

Austin Peay’s Anala Nelson dropped 22 on the Wildcats. As a whole, Austin Peay just outplayed Kentucky. Considering the Governors only average 31 rebounds per game as a team, tonight’s mark of 32 was nothing out of the ordinary. Austin Peay’s shooting was definitely the difference maker. That, and the double-teaming on Ajae Petty, who still managed to score 19 points but shot 7-15 and could’ve had many more points. Petty also recorded her second double-double of the regular season, adding on 14 rebounds.

Despite Petty’s impressive performance, it wasn’t enough for the ‘Cats to come out on top, even after outscoring Austin Peay 22-17 in the fourth quarter. Going into the Paradise Jam later this month and SEC play in the coming weeks, Kentucky is going to need to figure out how to make shots from the three-point line and not give up open layups. The starting backcourt of Eniya Russell, Saniah Tyler, and Brooklynn Miles shot a combined 9-36 from the floor.

The ‘Cats will be back in action Sunday, November 19, at Florida Gulf Coast for their first away game of the season before heading into the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.