PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB looks to end two-game skid with matchup vs. Furman at Rupp Arena

Exactly one week ago on Dec. 10, Kentucky Women’s Basketball took on the Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center. Unfortunately, the ‘Cats couldn’t pull it out against the Cards, falling 73-61. However, it wasn’t a bad loss against the No. 18 team in the nation. Big Blue Nation saw a host of good things from the Lady ‘Cats. Now, it’s just a matter of execution moving forward.

Against Louisville, senior Maddie Scherr made her return after being in concussion protocol for two games in a row. Scherr dominated the court, finishing with 22 points on 8-15 shooting, including four three-pointers. The guard added five rebounds, two assists, and a block. She also tied her career-high in steals with three.

Senior Ajae Petty also had a great game with 18 points and 10 rebounds, marking her sixth double-double of the season. The forward proved that she can be consistently aggressive under the basket, something that will be useful moving into SEC play.

Emma King, Saniah Tyler, and Cassidy Rowe stepped up from three, each hitting one to keep the game within reach. King also had a career-high of six assists. Kentucky committed 19 turnovers as a team, which is definitely more than Kyra Elzy’s goal of 12 per game, but the ‘Cats still forced the Cards into 18 turnovers. Kentucky was also severely outrebounded, 45-23.

Now, Kentucky (4-7) looks to move back into the win column with a home victory over Furman. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. EST in Rupp Arena and can be seen on SEC Network+.

Scouting Report: Furman Paladins

Coming into Sunday’s game, Kentucky is just 4-7 on the season. However, the Lady ‘Cats have a decent chance of getting a win against the 7-5 Furman Paladins. Furman has been a back-and-forth team all year. Other than a two-game winning streak, Furman has alternated between wins and losses all season. They win one game, they lose the next. If it gives you any hope, the Paladins won their last game, so their season trend would indicate that they should lose against Kentucky.

Besides looking at trends and hoping for the best, Furman really doesn’t have a whole lot to offer. The Paladins grab 44.8 rebounds per game, which is among the best in the country, and that’s where they’ll have the best shot at beating Kentucky. In the loss to Louisville, Kentucky was outrebounded by 18. The Paladins will look to expose the ‘Cats on the boards for the second game in a row.

Furman is led by junior Jada Session. Each year of her career, Session has taken big leaps in her game, and the forward is playing at the highest level she has ever played at. She is averaging 15.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest on the season thus far. The rest of the starting five average double-digit points per game, so the Paladins certainly have a well-rounded group. However, only two players off of their bench put up more than five points per game, so they lack depth in their rotation.

If Kentucky is going to win this game, they need to crash the boards and capitalize on second-chance points. This could very well be a repeat of the Louisville game if Kentucky isn’t careful. Though it was a rivalry game, the ‘Cats kept it competitive for three quarters of the game. And Louisville is much more talented than Furman, so if Kentucky can play to their capabilities, they should be able to get a win and end a two-game losing skid.