Kentucky’s star barely visible in first half. Then she showed her true, blue colors.
University of Kentucky head coach Matthew Mitchell knows he has something special in guard Rhyne Howard.
The unanimous national freshman of the year in women’s college basketball last season provided Mitchell a centerpiece around which to build a Southeastern Conference challenger he hopes can develop into a national contender this season.
The question entering the preseason was which players around Howard would emerge as fellow leaders for this team.
The answers began to show themselves quickly during the Wildcats’ 80-44 season-opening exhibition victory over NCAA Division II Southern Indiana in Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday night.
Mitchell went with a starting lineup of forwards KeKe McKinney and Tatyana Wyatt and guards Amanda Paschal and Blair Green to accompany his star sophomore.
Howard, who led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding last season, did not make her first basket until the game was almost 16 minutes old.
Big problem, right?
Not exactly.
Howard’s layup at the 4:10 mark of the second quarter extended Kentucky’s lead to 29-13. Howard was responsible for just three of those 29 points.
The other 26 came from seven different players — including six from Arizona State transfer Sabrina Haines and five from KeKe McKinney.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 13 in this week’s Associated Press preseason poll, were never threatened after that initial burst.
Kentucky led 37-18 at halftime, sparked by nine points on a trio of three-point baskets off the bench from Lincoln County freshman sharpshooter Emma King.
The Wildcats’ well-rounded first half served as evidence that Kentucky might not need to depend solely on Howard this season.
But the 6-foot-2 Howard reminded the Memorial Coliseum faithful in the second half that she’ll be dialed in when the Cats do, in fact, need her.
Howard sank a three-point basket to open the second 20 minutes, then splashed two more in the next two minutes as Kentucky extended its lead to 48-20.
Howard made yet another three to end the quarter, and UK led 55-33.
Howard finished her night with a game-high 20 points, to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in 27 minutes of action. She finished 5-for-7 from three-point range
King also finished in double figures with 12 points. Haines ended up with 11, Paschal nine and Green eight. McKinney had six points, seven rebounds and four assists. Jaida Roper added six points and six assists. UK blocked nine shots and forced 20 turnovers.
Ashley Johnson, a former standout at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, led the Screaming Eagles of USI with 13 points.
The Wildcats open 2019-20 for real on Tuesday night, when they host Mount St. Mary’s of Maryland.
Mitchell, entering his 13th season as head coach of the Cats, told UK radio voice Darren Headrick before the game that starting a new season never gets old.
“We’re still excited about it after all these years.”
Next game
Mount St. Mary’s (Md.) at Kentucky
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Live video broadcast: SEC Network Plus (online only)
This story was originally published October 30, 2019 at 9:04 PM.