Kentucky women use three-point barrage, more Howard heroics to sink Auburn
After suffering a bit of a mid-season slump brought on by nagging injuries and offensive struggles, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team appears to be well on its way to righting the ship.
The 19th-ranked Wildcats rediscovered their offense on Thursday in Alabama, using a three-point barrage to bury Auburn, 78-68, for their second straight win.
KeKe McKinney set the tone with a three-pointer off a Rhyne Howard assist for the first points of the game, but that was just a taste of things to come. Kentucky (19-5, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) hit its first eight three-pointers, several of them during a 14-0 second-quarter run that put the Cats ahead, 36-20. UK finished 11 of 20 from behind the arc after shooting under 30 percent from the three-point line in three of its previous four games.
The Cats reversed another nagging trend on Thursday as well, hitting 28 of 54 of their total shots from the field for a 52-percent mark after converting less than 40 percent of their shots in four straight games.
Auburn had no answer for Howard. The freshman star led Kentucky with 19 points and hit five of seven three-pointers, coming up with clutch shots in key moments. With the Tigers whittling down UK’s advantage in the third quarter, Howard nailed her fourth three to push the lead to 15. After Auburn (17-6, 5-5 SEC) finally got back within single digits in the waning moments of the fourth, Howard drilled another three to put the Cats ahead, 75-63. Thursday marked the third time in SEC play that Howard has hit five three-pointers in a game. She also dished out a game-high six assists.
“She was (feeling it from the opening tip),” said UK Coach Matthew Mitchell on the UK Radio Network postgame show. “It doesn’t always translate, but she shot it great in practice yesterday. Sometimes that doesn’t carry over but today it carried over. She was in rhythm.”
Taylor Murray was also a buzzsaw for the Cats once again. Four days after drawing lengthy praise from Mitchell for her play in the win over Florida, Murray terrorized the Tigers. She scored 17 points, six of them coming directly off sequences where she picked a ball-handler’s pocket and drove for a layup. Murray came up with six steals and added four assists.
“Another great performance by Taylor Murray, just attacking tonight and getting after it,” said Mitchell.
Blair Green came up big off the bench for the Cats. The freshman from Harlan County scored 12 points, one shy of her career high, and hit all five of her shots from the field, including a pair of three-pointers.
Maci Morris scored eight points and pulled down five rebounds. Tatyana Wyatt added nine points and three rebounds off the bench, hitting four of five shots from the field.
Next game
No. 19 Kentucky at Alabama
2 p.m. Monday (SEC Network)
This story was originally published February 7, 2019 at 9:24 PM.
