Wildcats host a struggling Samford team
The 20th-ranked Kentucky women’s basketball team returns to action Sunday when it hosts Southern Conference opponent Samford at 2 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum.
Kentucky, which fell to No. 20 in the latest Associated Press poll, has started its season with a 4-1 record.
The Cats suffered their first loss of the season last weekend against Colorado, falling 79-69 in Boulder.
The Wildcats are 4-0 at home this season with wins over highly ranked Miami (Fla.), Albany, New Hampshire and most recently Morehead State.
Sunday’s game is the second game of a three-game home stretch for Kentucky.
Against Morehead State, the Wildcats dominated the Eagles in the paint, outrebounding Morehead 46-34 with a 40-6 advantage in points in the paint. Four Wildcats scored in double figures in the game with sophomore guard Taylor Murray and senior guard Makayla Epps each scoring 18. The strong performance was a career-high in points for Murray, who also added a career-high eight rebounds.
Senior post Evelyn Akhator scored 11 points with nine rebounds against Morehead, while sophomore guard Maci Morris had 14 points and six rebounds.
In its first five games, Kentucky is averaging 77.4 points and allowing just 56.2.
Akhator leads Kentucky in scoring with 17.2 points per game, and she’s averaging 11.4 rebounds.
Epps is second on the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game. The former Marion County star leads the team in assists and steals with 29 and nine, respectively.
Samford started its season with a 62-57 loss at Georgia Tech before a 48-41 win against Memphis in its home opener. The Bulldogs enter Sunday with a 2-3 record after defeating Tennessee-Martin 69-62 on Wednesday.
Junior guards Kassidy Blevins and Hannah Nichols both average 15.2 points per game.
Samantha Fitzgerald, a freshman forward who starred at Southwestern High School, is averaging 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
The Bulldogs earned their first 20-win season in program history last year, finishing 20-11 overall.
Samford is entering its 15th season under head coach Mike Morris, who holds a 244-186 (.567) all-time record with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs lost their top three scorers from last season, including their top rebounder.
Sunday
Samford at No. 20 Kentucky
When: 2 p.m.
Live video broadcast: SEC Network Plus (online only)
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 4-1, Samford 2-3
Series: Kentucky leads 1-0
Last meeting: Kentucky won 90-61 on Dec. 21, 2011, in Lexington.
Matchups
Kentucky
Probable starters: Maci Morris, 6-0, G, So. (11.4 pts, 3.4 rebs); Evelyn Akhator, 6-3, F, Sr. (17.2 pts, 11.4 rebs, 1.6 blks); Taylor Murray, 5-6, G, So. (10.0 pts, 4.8 rebs, 2.4 asts); Makayla Epps, 5-10, G, Sr. (16.6 pts, 5.8 asts); Alyssa Rice, 6-3, C, Jr. (6.0 pts, 5.4 rebs)
Key reserves: Makenzie Cann, 6-1, G, Jr. (9.4 pts, 5.2 rebs); Jessica Hardin, 5-8, G, Sr. (4.8 pts, 2.0 rebs); Jaida Roper, 5-6, PG, Fr. (1.6 pts, 1.6 asts)
Samford
Probable starters: Kassidy Blevins, 5-9, G, Jr. (15.2 pts, 4.0 rebs, 3.2 stls); Charity Brown, 5-8, G, Fr. (3.8 pts, 4.6 asts, 3.2 rebs); Brittany Stevens, 5-3, G, Sr. (3.6 pts, 3.0 asts, 3.2 rebs); Ellen Riggins, 6-0, F, Sr. (8.4 pts, 5.0 rebs); Samantha Fitzgerald, 6-0, F, Fr. (8.6 pts, 5.2 rebs)
Key reserves: Hannah Nichols, 5-10, G, Jr. (15.2 pts, 3.2 rebs); Olivia Crozier, 6-1, F, Fr. (2.4 pts, 2.2 rebs); Cassidy Williams, 5-0, G, So. (0.6 pts, 0.2 rebs)
This story was originally published November 26, 2016 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Wildcats host a struggling Samford team."