PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB takes on Samford in final non-conference game of regular season

It’s been 10 days since the Kentucky Women’s Basketball team has hit the floor, giving them a lengthy, but likely much needed, break for the holidays. On Sunday at the Clive M. Beck Center, the Lady Cats (6-7) are taking on the Samford Bulldogs (7-6) in their final non-conference game of the regular season. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. EST on the SEC Network+.

The last game Kentucky played was Dec. 21, where they came out victorious over Lipscomb in an 87-80 nail biter. The Wildcats actually trailed by a maximum of 13 points for the majority of the game, but it wasn’t until the fourth quarter when they finally picked up the pace.

Sophomore Amiya Jenkins also made her return to the court after sitting out due to a shoulder injury. Despite missing four games in a row, Jenkins made a huge impact in the ‘Cats victory with 20 points on 9-11 (81.8%) shooting, including 2-2 from the perimeter. The sophomore added four rebounds and a block. Safe to say the ‘Cats missed her while she was gone.

Also with a big game against Lipscomb was sophomore Saniah Tyler. The guard put up 22 points on 8-15 (53.3%), two steals, and a rebound. Tyler only went 3-8 (37.5%) from the perimeter, but proved that her confidence never wavers.

Senior Maddie Scherr had her eighth double-digit scoring game of the season against Lipscomb, tying her career-high 25 points. The guard has missed four games due to injuries, and has only been able to play nine games this season. Scherr went 7-16 (43.8%) from the field including 2-5 (40%) from three. Scherr added five rebounds, three steals, and a block. She also just narrowly missed a career-high in assists with seven, her current record is eight.

Lipscomb did a great job controlling Ajae Petty in the post and underneath the basket. The 6-3 forward only recorded seven points and six rebounds, some of her lowest in both stats on the season. That being said, teams are slowly, but surely learning how to keep Petty from controlling the boards. Kentucky will need to use their guards as the main shooting weapons from here on out, especially if they want to come out on top over Samford.

Scouting Report: Samford Bulldogs

The Samford Bulldogs are coming into this game 7-6 and on a three-game skid with their latest defeat coming to EKU 59-54 on December 29th. The other thing about Samford is that we’ve already seen them up against some of Kentucky’s past and future opponents.

Samford has already played against two SEC foes, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Bulldogs lost to Alabama 69-39, but they kept it much closer against Arkansas. That being said, the Razorbacks still won decisively, coming out on top 68-54.

If you remember just how bad Kentucky beat USC Upstate, then you remember that the ‘Cats put a pounding on the Spartans. However, Samford wasn’t able to put the same pounding down on USC Upstate. Samford escaped with a 57-52 win against the Spartans.

Another reason that Kentucky should be able to easily handle Samford? They really only have a few contributors on offense. Sophomore guards Masyn Marchbanks and Carly Heidger. Other than those two, there isn’t a whole lot for Samford to offer. They do have sophomore center Emily Bowman, however. Bowman averages 7.2 points, eight rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game for the Bulldogs.

Going back to Samford’s guards, Marchbanks leads the team in scoring with her 10.3 points per game. She is also shooting 40.6% from three-point range this year, so she can knock down the deep ball with ease. Heidger is just behind her, averaging exactly ten points per game as well as 4.9 rebounds per outing. The other player most worthy of noting is senior guard Sadie Stetson, who is averaging 8.7 points per game while shooting an unreal 49.2% from three. That’s good enough for 10th in the country.

Overall, Samford is just a younger team trying to figure things out. They’ll most likely finish as a middle of the road team in the SoCon, but their future is bright. However, the reality is, we aren’t in the future. We’re in the present. And in the present, Samford is a team that mightily struggles to put the ball in the hoop, scoring just 59.8 points per game as a team, which ranks 272nd in college basketball. The ‘Cats should be able to beat Samford handily as conference play is just on the horizon.