RECAP: Kentucky WBB shocks Tennessee 83-74 in SEC Tournament semifinals win
Despite the hopes of thousands of Tennessee fans in attendance, Kentucky Women Basketball’s Cinderella story isn’t over just yet.
On Saturday night, the No. 7 seed Wildcats (18-11, 8-8) pulled off an 83-74 upset over the No. 3 seed Tennessee Volunteers (23-8, 11-5) to advance to the SEC Tournament championship. The victory is Kentucky’s second shocking win in a row as the team defeated No. 6 LSU on Friday night.
Moreover, the win is UK’s second-straight revenge victory. Tennessee annihilated Kentucky 84-58 on Jan. 16 earlier this season. There was no sign of the blowout in the Wildcats’ stunning Saturday triumph.
In typical fashion, Rhyne Howard led Kentucky with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Further, the All-American was efficient, shooting 7-12 from the field and 2-3 from beyond the arc.
Howard certainly wasn’t the only ‘Cat feeling it, though. As a team, Kentucky shot a respectable 30-70 (43%) from the field and made a season-high 12 3-pointers on 24 attempts. UK’s ball control was rock solid, committing only seven turnovers. Additionally, the ‘Cats dished out 16 assists.
Here’s how Kentucky punched a ticket to their first SEC Tournament championship since 2014.
Kentucky WBB heats up immediately
It was immediately evident that a meat locker couldn’t have cooled down Kentucky from their Friday night win. The ‘Cats opened the game on a 14-3 run, seemingly unable to miss. UK shot 6-9 from deep in the frame with four different players contributing.
Howard led Kentucky with eight points in the quarter, including a filthy step back to close the quarter. UK’s hot starts have quickly become a theme in the SEC Tournament. Howard discussed the team’s exciting openings after the contest.
“We like to shoot, and when we see it going in, we’re going to keep shooting it. We are moving the ball really well to find the open person. We’re just connecting on all levels,” Howard said during the postgame press conference.
Energized by their endless supply of scoring, Kentucky strolled into the second frame with a 22-13 lead.
The ‘Cats attack the glass
If the first quarter of this game was an appetizer, the second period was the steak. The teams traded shots back and forth, with Tennessee outscoring Kentucky 24-22 in the period.
In the frame, Kentucky had to fight through adversity as Dre’Una Edwards picked up her second foul with 7:30 remaining in the half. Without Edwards, her teammates stepped up to the challenge. The team grabbed four more offensive rebounds than Tennessee in the half.
The ‘Cats would need all the extra attempts they could find as Tennessee caught fire. In the second quarter, the Volunteers shot an impressive 11-18 from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arc. Despite Howard only recording three points in the second period, Kentucky went into the halftime break ahead 44-37.
Tennesse’s Alexus Dye causes issues for UK
Tennesse didn’t wait to pounce on the ‘Cats in the third quarter, beginning the period on an 8-2 run. Nevertheless, Kentucky responded. In the blink of an eye, the ‘Cats rattled off five points of their own.
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Lady Volunteer forward Alexus Dye continued to give the ‘Cats problems. Dye recorded five points in the third frame, increasing her total for the game to 17 points. Moreover, with nine rebounds, Dye was quickly erasing UK’s rebounding lead, and Tennesse fans were loving it.
With each made shot, Tennessee fans let out an even louder roar. Yet, Howard was unfazed by the noise.
“They had the heavy side of the crowd since we’re in Tennessee, but it’s great,” Howard said. “We love when the fans are going against us. It’s not something that we’re new to, but we love showing people wrong and just showing what we can do.”
Despite Dye’s explosive performance, Kentucky took a 61-53 lead into the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Kentucky WBB cements a Sunday spot
The final frame didn’t get off to an excellent start for Kentucky. With 9:16 left in the period, Edwards picked up a foul attempting to hold her ground in the paint. Unhappy with the call, Edwards received a technical, her fourth foul of the contest.
Once again, Edwards’ absence didn’t stop UK. The team locked the Volunteers down, creating three turnovers in three minutes. Propelled by Tennessee’s miscues, Kentucky ran off seven unanswered points.
Hitting their final five field-goal attempts of the contest, Kentucky celebrated an 83-74 victory over No. 18 Tennessee. For the game, Kentucky scored 10 fastbreak points compared to the Volunteers’ single point in transition. Even more impressively, the ‘Cats took down Tennessee while shooting a poor 11-19 from the charity stripe.
For the second night in a row, Kentucky had four players score double figures, including Howard. Senior Robyn Benton contributed 16 points on 4-7 shooting from downtown. Freshman Jada Walker had another standout performance with 16 points and six rebounds. To top it off, Treasure Hunt had 11 points with a career-high three 3-pointers.
Kentucky will have a chance at their biggest upset yet on Sunday. The Wildcats will face the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks at 2 p.m. EST in the SEC Tournament championship, Kentucky’s first SEC finals appearance since 2014. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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