PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB hosts Lipscomb in Rupp Arena

Kentucky Women’s Basketball (5-7) is back in action this morning at 11:00 a.m. EST to take on Lipscomb (6-5) inside Rupp Arena on the SEC Network+.

On Sunday, the ‘Cats came out victorious over Furman, 75-45, in a performance that looked like a brand-new Kentucky team. With the help of a healthy Maddie Scherr, an aggressive Ajae Petty, and a confident Saniah Tyler, the ‘Cats looked consistent in their win over the Paladins. As a team, UK shot 31-57 (54.4%) from the field and held the Paladins to 18-58 (31%).

Scherr finished Sunday’s matchup with 13 points and five rebounds, as well as eight assists, five steals, and a block. As for Petty, she finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, just one shy of her eighth double-double of the season. Tyler was the leading scorer of the night with 17 points, a career-high for the sophomore. The fourth player in double-digits for Kentucky was Eniya Russell, who has stepped up big in the past few games. The senior had 10 points and two rebounds in less than 20 minutes of playing time.

Kentucky’s defense was solid, holding Furman to just 45 points on 31% shooting. However, the ‘Cats committed 20 turnovers. Despite that, the Paladins were only able to score 11 points off of Kentucky’s miscues. Kentucky was able to score 25 points off of the 25 turnovers from Furman.

“I thought what Brooklynn Miles brought today defensively was just contagious,” head coach Kyra Elzy said in the postgame press conference. “What she does doesn’t show up in the stat sheet… it’s not a headline but let me tell you, she knows how to wear that basketball out for 94 feet. It also allows us to get our defense set and our transition defense set.”

The Tennessee transfer isn’t typically a scorer for the ‘Cats, but she knows how to make an impact defensively. Miles collected a rebound, a steal, and an assist. The 5-5 guard also managed to secure a block. Although her impact doesn’t typically show on the stats, the junior has a big impact on the team’s pacing and will be crucial for today’s matchup against Lipscomb.

If they play like they did against Furman, the ‘Cats shouldn’t have much trouble securing a victory over the Bisons. Unfortunately, this is college basketball, and anything can happen.

Scouting Report: Lipscomb Bisons

The 6-5 Lipscomb Bisons are coming into this matchup off a road loss to Vanderbilt, 72-50. The Bisons shot only 19-64 (29.6%) from the field, which is unusual, considering Lipscomb typically shoots 39.1% per outing. Lipscomb loves to shoot the three as well. They average 25.3 three-point attempts per game. The Bisons are going to jack up the three all game long. It’ll be up to Kentucky to force some misses.

Lipscomb is led by guard Bella Vinson who averages 11.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, and 1.1 BPG. The junior is having a bit of a down year from last season, but she’s still having a good year nonetheless. The Bisons have three other players who average double-digit scoring, but that’s about it for them scoring-wise.

Averaging just 65.3 points per game as a team, buckets can be tough to come by for Lipscomb. In Kentucky’s big win against Furman, they held the Paladins to just 45 points. If the ‘Cats can have that same defensive intensity against Lipscomb, then they should win this one comfortably. This could be another low-scoring outing for UK’s opponent.

The Bisons played against ETSU on November 30th, who UK played against to open the season. Lipscomb won that game decisively, 68-45. Kentucky’s game against ETSU was a nail-biter up until the end, but that wasn’t the case for Lipscomb when they played the Buccaneers. That being said, both teams are completely different since they played ETSU.

If Kentucky is going to win this game and move to 6-7 on the year, then they need to limit the three. Lipscomb is going to live and die from deep. We’ll set the magic number at 10. If Kentucky can hold Lipscomb to under 10 three-pointers on Thursday, then they should be in position to win the game. If the Bisons get to that mark, then Kentucky will be in a lot of trouble. Just have to play good perimeter defense and hope that the Bisons don’t have the hot hand.