PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB seeks first road win of season against Georgia

After Thursday night’s heartbreaking overtime loss for Kentucky women’s basketball, the ‘Cats are in desperate need of their first road win of the season. That’s right, the first road win of the season.

So far, Kentucky is 0-6 in away games, and 0-9 if you include the three losses at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This Georgia game might be UK’s best chance to mark the first (and hopefully not last) road win for the rest of the season.

A few days ago, Kentucky managed to take Mississippi State to overtime (the team that had just upset No. 9 LSU), but couldn’t finish it out. Near the end of the fourth quarter, the ‘Cats were up 58-53, with only three minutes to go. Astoundingly, the Bulldogs hadn’t made a three-pointer all game until, get this, 45 seconds left in the fourth. Not only did they make one three-pointer, they made three — all in the final stretch.

The Bulldogs actually took the lead, but thanks to a clutch Eniya Russell layup to tie the game, Kentucky forced Mississippi State into overtime. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs took over from there, and the ‘Cats didn’t really have much of a chance to come back. Kentucky ultimately fell to Mississippi State, 77-74.

Despite this being Kentucky’s third loss in a row, it wasn’t necessarily a bad one. As said in our post-game Rapid Reaction, there were a lot of good things to come out of it. For one, Kentucky does have the ability to keep up with good SEC squads. As long as the ‘Cats are making shots, rebounding, and playing solid defense, there’s a chance that they can get a few more SEC wins under their belt before tournament season.

Maddie Scherr led her team with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Ajae Petty finally secured her first double-double since Jan. 21 with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Russell finished with 15 points, her fourth consecutive double-digit game. Saniah Tyler finished with 14, including a crucial three-pointer to extend the Cats’ lead in the final minutes of regulation.

Up next, Kentucky takes on Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 4. Tipoff is set for 12:00 p.m. EST and can be streamed on the SEC Network.

Scouting Report: Georgia Bulldogs

Man, if there’s ever been a chance for these ‘Cats to get a win not in Lexington or Georgetown, now’s the chance.

Georgia is bad. Really bad. No way to spin it whatsoever. If you thought the SEC has been brutal to Kentucky, then it has been really brutal to Georgia. The Bulldogs sit at the very bottom in the conference standings having lost seven consecutive games. As KSR predicted prior to the start of SEC play, Georgia’s rather fast start was fool’s gold. But, as bad as the Bulldogs may be, let’s not pretend that Kentucky has been much better. The ‘Cats will have to come ready to play if they want to leave Athens with the W.

The undoubted leader of this Georgia team is fifth-year senior Javyn Nicholson. The 6-2 forward has been (by far) the most steady and consistent contributor for Katie Abrahamson-Henderson’s crew. Nicholson averages 15.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting a smooth 45.3% from the field. You can really tell Nicholson has played five years of college basketball. Her experience has allowed her to become a very disciplined big on both ends of the floor.

In Georgia’s last game, a 95-73 loss to Tennessee at home, junior guard De’Mauri Flournoy led the way for the Bulldogs. She dropped 18 points, recorded six steals, and dished out four assists in the loss. Flournoy has scored in double-digits in Georgia’s last four games. Finally, it seems that she has caught her stride here in conference play.

Other than those two, Georgia doesn’t really bring a whole lot to the table. But that’s what makes this game so important. Sitting at 9-13 with eight games left before the regular season ends, this game is a must, MUST win for Kentucky.