Kentucky WBB suffers catastrophic 79-57 loss to Vanderbilt

The Kentucky women’s basketball team’s bodies were in Nashville on Sunday afternoon. Their heads were not.

On Sunday, the Wildcats (10-16, 2-12 SEC) suffered a soul-crushing 79-57 defeat to the Vanderbilt Commodores (12-16; 3-11 SEC) on the road. Before falling to Vanderbilt, UK lost four-straight SEC contests by an average margin of 14.3 points.

Kentucky loses on the road, 79-57. pic.twitter.com/mvyB8lHoWo

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) February 19, 2023

Injuries have only catalyzed Kentucky’s latest troubles. Robyn Benton (ankle) and Maddie Scherr (illness) missed UK’s contest on Thursday against Georgia. Benton returned to face the Commodores, but Scherr did not. To pile on, 6-foot-3 forward Ajae Petty was listed out on Sunday due to an ankle injury.

With several top talents out, Adebola Adeyeye seized the moment. Adeyeye led the Cats with 13 points and nine rebounds while shooting 5-6 from the field. More impressive, the graduate student led UK despite only playing 23 minutes.

In fairness, Adeyeye didn’t have much competition from her fellow Cats. Kentucky shot a poor 22-56 (39%) from the field and 1-6 (17%) from beyond the arc. Moreover, Kentucky’s star players Robyn Benton and Jada Walker recorded a combined 10 points on 3-21 shooting.

Instead of wearing their Sunday best, the Cats were a mess in Nashville.

Kentucky shows off a sloppy first half

Despite Kentucky’s car-wreck first half, the team had a decent start. Early in the period, the Cats ran off seven unanswered points to take a 13-9 lead. Adeyeye was pivotal in UK’s scoring streak. The 6-foot-2 forward recorded eight points and five rebounds in the first period alone.

Nonetheless, Kentucky’s good start quickly looked like a great fluke. The Cats scored just two points in the closing three minutes of the first period. In turn, Kentucky took a narrow 15-11 lead into the second quarter.

First off the bench. 💪@Amiy_aaa pic.twitter.com/JtQAgbKwwf

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) February 19, 2023

Kentucky’s dry spell came from a flood of turnovers. The Cats threw away 15 possessions in the first half, just three less than their already subpar game average. To make matters worse, Kentucky couldn’t match the Commodores’ defense without fouling.

With two and a half minutes left in the second frame, Adeyeye picked up her third foul. The Buffalo transfer went to the bench for the remainder of the half.

Vanderbilt took advantage of Adeyeye’s absence, closing the half on a 10-2 run. Fueled by their defense, the Commodores secured a 24-22 lead before heading into the halftime break.

The Cats crumble in the second half

If Kentucky’s first half was a car crash, its second half was a 40-car pileup. Vanderbilt began the third quarter on a 12-0 run, dispersed by two desperate Kyra Elzy timeouts. The intermittent inspirational speeches were no help.

Vanderbilt drained eight field goals in a row to take a commanding 44-27 lead. Worse, Kentucky had little to counter with. After playing the first 40 seconds of the second half, Adeyeye picked up her fourth foul and was forced to the sideline again.

Where one veteran struggled, another thrived. Vanderbilt graduate student Marnelle Garraud lit up the Wildcats for 14 third-quarter points. Riding Garraud’s coattails, the Commodores flew into the final frame ahead 52-35.

Whatever fight Kentucky had left in the tank, came out in the worst way in the fourth quarter. Just 45 seconds into the period, Kentucky leading scorer Benton picked up a technical foul and was ejected from the game. Elzy nearly followed suit, picking up a tech of her own.

The emotional moment seemingly stirred something in the Cats. Kentucky had its highest-scoring quarter of the day with 22 points in the final frame. The late surge wasn’t enough to even make the Commodores flinch.

Vanderbilt strolled into the sunset with a comfortable 79-57 victory. In the loss, Kentucky recorded just six assists. Most of the team’s passes were intercepted, finishing with 22 total turnovers compared to Vanderbilt’s 14.

Blair Green was the only other Cats besides Adeyeye to score double figures. The 6-foot-2 guard added 11 points while shooting 5-9 from the field. Freshman guard Amiya Jenkins added seven points and eight boards, as well.

Kentucky will have four days to lick its wounds. The team will take on Texas A&M on Thursday at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.