RECAP: Jada Walker, Dre'Una Edwards shine in Kentucky WBB SEC Tournament opener
Kentucky Women’s Basketball just proved their late-season win streak wasn’t a fluke. In fact, the recent surge may have merely been a sneak peek of what’s to come.
On Thursday night, the No. 7 seed Wildcats (16-11, 8-8) secured a dominant 83-67 victory over the No. 10 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs (15-14, 6-10) in their first game of the SEC Tournament. While this is Kentucky’s first triumph in March, it’s the Wildcats’ seventh win in a row.
Mississippi State is responsible for two tallies in Kentucky’s string of wins. Nonetheless, tonight’s was far different than the first. On Feb. 15, Kentucky pulled off a 15-point comeback in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bulldogs. On Thursday, Kentucky put a leash on the Bulldogs.
Freshman Jada Walker led the charge with 21 points and eight rebounds. Walker shot 7-12 from the field and a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. Walker wasn’t the only one who had an impressive showing, though.
As a team, Kentucky went 36-68 (53%) from the field but just 2-12 (17%) beyond the arc. While UK’s 3-point shooting wasn’t good, their free-throw shooting sure was. The ‘Cats connected on 9-12 of their free-throw attempts. There was little Kentucky didn’t do well.
Bucket-filled first period
The first period was a shootout, and the ‘Cats shot first. Kentucky opened the game on an 8-2 run, led by six points from Walker. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs battled back.
Mississippi State retaliated with a 12-2 stretch of their own. To make matters worse, redshirt junior Dre’Una Edwards picked up her second personal foul with 1:55 left in the first quarter and didn’t return until the second half. Head coach Kyra Elzy discussed her message to the team regarding Edwards’ foul trouble after the game.
“That’s why we always say the next man has to be ready,” Elzy said during the postgame press conference. “I talked to Dre when she came out. I was like, ‘You’re still going to play. Make sure you remain locked into this game.'”
Locked in or not, Mississippi State took advantage of Edwards’ absence. The team, which shot 30% from 3-point land in the regular season, went 3-6 from range in the first period. Kentucky pulled into the second frame down 21-16.
Spectacular 2nd quarter for Kentucky WBB
The ‘Cats owned the second quarter, primarily due to their defense. Kentucky forced six Mississippi State miscues in the frame. For reference, the Bulldogs average just over 11 turnovers per game, the eighth fewest in the nation.
While Kentucky cooked on defense, Howard caught fire on the other end of the court. The All-American dropped 10 points in the second frame alone. Energized by Howard’s electric performance, Kentucky rattled off 10 unanswered points.
However, Howard’s fun would only last for so long. The First-Team All-SEC guard also picked up her second foul, which came with nearly five minutes left in the half. Unlike Edwards, Howard’s fouls couldn’t keep her on the bench. Howard played the final two minutes of the half, propelling Kentucky to a 38-30 halftime lead.
Jada Walker explodes in the third
Another quarter meant another impressive Kentucky performance. The ‘Cats went on a 6-0 run early in the third frame and never looked back. Specifically, Walker was a menace to the Bulldogs. The 5-foot-7 guard scored nine points in just the third period.
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Elzy gave props to her young star after the game.
“She’s grown up, and I’ve said all year Jada is a fearless competitor. She wants to win,” Elzy said. “She’s been baptized by fire, but she has answered the challenge.“
Kentucky did more than score. The ‘Cats grabbed four offensive rebounds in the frame, compared to Mississippi State’s one. With seemingly everything going right for UK, the team strolled into the final frame ahead 57-44.
Kentucky WBB finishes strong
Not that they needed to, but Kentucky poured it on in the final 10 minutes of the contest. The ‘Cats recorded 26 fourth-quarter points, the most of any period in the game.
Edwards led the push toward the finish line with 12 points in the fourth quarter. Robyn Benton’s six points in the frame helped her reach double-digit scoring, as well.
Once again, Kentucky controlled the boards. The team out-rebounded Mississippi State 14-4 in the final period. All of these factors combined, Kentucky walked away with a convincing 83-67 win.
Overall, Thursday night’s performance was one of Kentucky’s most spectacular of the season. The team forced 14 Mississippi State turnovers and scored 21 points off the Bulldogs’ miscues. Additionally, the ‘Cats had five times as many second-chance points as Mississippi State.
Kentucky didn’t have a single poor individual performance. The squad had five players score double figures: Walker, Howard, Edwards, Benton and Massengill. Edwards not only found baskets but boards too, recording 18 points and 14 rebounds. Howard added 14 points, as well.
The Wildcats’ win likely solidifies their spot in the NCAA Tournament later this month. Certainly, the victory cements the team in the quarterfinals tomorrow night. Kentucky Women’s Basketball will face the LSU Tigers at 7 p.m. EST on Friday. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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