PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB aims to end three-game skid as Missouri comes to Rupp

After a devastating 98-36 loss to No. 1 South Carolina on Monday, now 8-10 (1-3 SEC) Kentucky women’s basketball is back in action at Rupp Arena on Sunday against 11-7 (2-3 SEC) Missouri. The ‘Cats are looking to snap a three-game losing skid, which started after a second-half disaster against Tennessee on Jan. 7.

Against the top-ranked Gamecocks, Kentucky only shot 15-61 (24.5%) from the field, with the majority of their points coming from guards Saniah Tyler and Maddie Scherr. Tyler, who shot 5-15 (33.3%), finished with 13 points, a team high. The guard was 3-9 (33.3%) from the perimeter and collected three rebounds. Scherr finished with only nine points on 3-19 (15.7%) from the field. The senior was 1-6 (16.7%) from three and added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Other than Scherr and Tyler, no one made much of an impact against the Gamecocks. Even Ajae Petty, who averages a double-double, finished with only two points on 1-5 (20%) from the field. Petty also only had five rebounds but did manage to accrue two steals and an assist. As a team, Kentucky scored only 14 points in the paint compared to South Carolina’s 54.

Turnovers were also a big issue for the ‘Cats, as they committed 24. The Gamecocks took advantage of that and scored 34 points off Kentucky’s miscues. The ‘Cats, on the other hand, didn’t score a single point off turnovers.

It seemed like Kentucky was ready to give up after an Ashlyn Watkins dunk midway through the first quarter. The ‘Cats were outscored by double digits every quarter. South Carolina could’ve easily hit 100 points as well, but head coach Dawn Staley had her team run down their shot clock in the final seconds of the game, securing their score at 98.

You know what they say, “the past will only hold you back if you let it.” And boy, could the South Carolina loss hold Kentucky back. On Sunday, the ‘Cats return to Rupp Arena to take on the Missouri Tigers. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. and can be streamed on the SEC Network+.

Scouting Report: Missouri Tigers

The Missouri Tigers are a team that picked up the majority of its wins this season in the nonconference. However, the Tigers are playing their best basketball of the season at the moment. There’s a chance for them to build traction to get through the SEC season with a respectable record. Of course, it’ll be up to the ‘Cats to derail Missouri’s momentum and start building some of their own.

Fifth-year senior Hayley Frank is the “do it all” player for the Tigers. For a lack of better words, she’s their Ajae Petty. While she isn’t nearly as good a rebounder as Petty, she does show glimpses of being an elite post scorer. The forward averages 16.9 points per game, which is good for sixth-best in the SEC. Unlike Petty, however, Frank is a more than capable three-point shooter. This year, Frank is shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc, which is actually a bit of a down year for her. Petty’s perimeter defense will be put to the test on Sunday. She also shoots 90.6% from the free-throw line, suggesting that Kentucky probably shouldn’t foul her a ton. Frank could very well have a 50/40/90 season.

Then, we have senior guard Mama Dembele, and she can do a little bit of everything as well, but she stands out due to her innate ability to distribute the basketball. Dembele is first in the SEC and third in the nation in assists per game, averaging 7.0 per outing. On top of that, the senior is averaging 9.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.4 steals per game. Dembele may only be 5-6, but that doesn’t limit her in the slightest. Again, this will be a tough matchup for Kentucky and point guard Brooklynn Miles specifically.

The second-leading scorer for the Tigers is guard Ashton Judd (not related to Ashley, as far as we know). Judd is currently putting up 13.5 points per game while grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game as well. Last season, Judd shot 44.9% from the three, but that number is down to just 32.2% this year. However, she is still a major scoring threat that Kyra Elzy and Kentucky will have to keep an eye on. The 2023 All-SEC Freshman has scored in double-digits in four of her last six games. Lastly, we have three-point deadeye Grace Slaughter for the Tigers. She is scoring 11.4 points per game while shooting 42.9% from the perimeter.

This could be a tough one for the ‘Cats, but this is actually one of the more winnable games left on the schedule. A win here is massive for Kentucky’s standing in the conference. If the ‘Cats can win and move to 2-3 in the SEC, that would put them around 7th or 8th in the league. While that doesn’t sound great, being in the middle of the road certainly helps in the SEC Tournament versus being a bottom feeder.