Morris and Howard masterful again, but Kentucky’s rally comes up short on the road
Big-time performances from Maci Morris and Rhyne Howard were not enough to rescue the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team on Sunday.
After trailing No. 25 Texas A&M for the entire afternoon, the No. 15 Wildcats had a shot to tie or take the lead with less than 10 seconds to play. But Howard’s mid-range jumper came up short and UK fell to the Aggies, 73-71, in College Station. Texas A&M has now won three games in a row against the Wildcats.
“You have to give Texas A&M all the credit today. They really fought hard and made a few more plays than we did,” UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. “I was proud of our players and happy they were able to battle back and have a chance to win the game.”
Morris had a game-high 22 points and added five rebounds and four assists. It’s the sixth time this season she has scored 20 or more points. Morris dominated the fourth quarter, at one point scoring 12 points in a row for the Cats to pull them within striking distance in the closing minutes.
Howard led the way for the Wildcats in the first half, scoring 12 of her 21 points before the break. She hit seven of 15 shots from the field and went 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Howard’s third three-pointer of the game pulled UK within 19-18 in the second quarter before the Aggies went on a run to go up 31-23. The Cats rallied for an 8-0 run to tie the game at 31 before Texas A&M got a late bucket to go up 33-31 at halftime.
UK twice tied the game in the third quarter before an A&M run pushed the advantage to 10.
Kentucky (17-4, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) outrebounded the Aggies 34-31 and had a 14-5 advantage in second-chance points, but the Cats couldn’t match Texas A&M’s offensive efficiency. The Aggies shot 52 percent from the field for the game, including a 6-for-8 mark from the perimeter, while UK shot 39.7 percent from the floor and hit 11 of 29 three-pointers.
Texas A&M (16-4, 5-2) was led by Chennedy Carter and Kayla Wells, who scored 20 points apiece and combined for five of the Aggies’ six three-pointers. Morris and Howard were the only Wildcats to score double figures. Keke McKinney had nine points and seven rebounds and Taylor Murray added eight points and four assists.
The schedule doesn’t offer the Wildcats much of a respite. The Cats will face their third ranked opponent in a row on Thursday in Memorial Coliseum, No. 19 South Carolina.
“We just have to go back to work and learn the lessons that are available from this game and see if we can improve,” Mitchell said of the upcoming matchup.
Next game
No. 19 South Carolina at No. 15 Kentucky
6:30 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network)