LOUISVILLE — When she was a player at Lexington Catholic, Keyla Snowden was dubbed "shaky" by an assistant coach and it stuck.
The Kentucky guard admitted to living up to that moniker before the Cats' first-round NCAA Tournament game at Freedom Hall on Saturday.
Snowden, who had played in big games in high school, including three Sweet Sixteen tournaments, said it was nerve-rattling to play in her first NCAA Tournament.
"I had some jitters," she said in the locker room after the Cats' win over Liberty.
The jitters showed in the first half, when the guard missed both shots she attempted and turned the ball over.
"She was nervous," Coach Matthew Mitchell said. "It was a big stage for her to be on, and it was refreshing to me that she could admit that."
With the help of teammates and encouragement from her coaches, Snowden settled down in the second half, scoring all 15 of her points, including four three-pointers. The Akron transfer missed just one from outside in the second half.
"I just needed to get the first-time jitters out," she said. "When I came back in the second half, I just felt better.
"I knew that if we lost we were going to go home, so I tried to help my team as much as possible."
Morrow still sluggish
It has been a frustrating few weeks for Carly Morrow.
The UK guard who started the first 25 games of the season has been battling an unknown illness, not playing any serious minutes since Feb. 7.
Morrow said her illness, which has been described as fatigue by coaches, still hasn't been diagnosed.
"I've just been trying to rest as much as I can," she said. "Coach has been real flexible with how much I've been practicing."
She played just six minutes in Saturday's first-round game, not attempting a shot.
"I was feeling better today, but I kind of crashed out around halftime," she said. "So that part was definitely frustrating."
Sea of blue
The Kentucky coach watched his team exit the tunnel near its locker room to head out onto the floor of Freedom Hall for the start of the game.
He got chills as he heard the roar of the fans. A vast majority of the 3,560 were wearing blue and white.
"That was an amazing feeling," Mitchell said. "That meant a lot to me. It reminded me how fortunate I am to coach at Kentucky."
'Too hyped'
Kentucky's coach and many opposing coaches have noted throughout the season that UK goes as point guard Amber Smith goes.
The junior said she felt partially responsible for Kentucky's struggles in the first half. She played only 11 minutes in that half because of two quick fouls.
"I was just too hyped," she said. "I was too up, maybe. I got those two quick fouls."
Smith didn't have one of her best offensive performances, making just one shot and scoring three points, but she did dish out seven assists.
"She didn't have one of her best days," Mitchell said of Smith. "I would expect she'll play much better come Monday."
Jump shots
Kentucky won its first game at Freedom Hall since 1999. ... Saturday's game was the first NCAA Tournament game in the commonwealth since 1983 when UK suffered a first-round loss to Indiana in Lexington.
