‘That win was a football win.’ UK women go down to the buzzer for tough road victory.
At the same time the Kentucky football team was waging battle with Vanderbilt in Nashville on Saturday, the UK women’s basketball team was facing a physical test of its own in Charlottesville, Va.
“That win was a football win,” Coach Matthew Mitchell told the UK Sports Network after the 13th-ranked Wildcats turned back unranked Virginia 50-47. “That was tough out there.”
Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard sank a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining after Virginia had trimmed the Wildcats’ lead to one point. Those held up when Jocelyn Willoughby airballed a three-point attempt at the buzzer.
In a game UK radio voice Darren Headrick termed “bowling shoe ugly,” the Wildcats shot 29.8 percent to Virginia’s 31.0. The Cats committed 23 turnovers to the Cavs’ 22. In all, 42 fouls were whistled.
“You look at that stat sheet, it’s not a pretty one at all,” Mitchell told Headrick after UK improved to 4-0. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of the team on a day we had such a tough time. How tough was Virginia? … They were a pain in the neck for us with their aggressive, switching man-to-man defense.”
Howard sat out all but 12 seconds of the third quarter because of foul trouble but still wound up with a double-double, contributing 13 points and 11 rebounds.
“When it came down to crunch time she delivered,” Mitchell said after watching the sophomore guard score 10 of her 13 in the second half.
Senior transfer Sabrina Haines led UK with 17 points.
Kentucky trailed only 23-22 at the half after enduring a nearly eight-minute scoring drought in the second quarter.
“Even though our shots weren’t falling we knew we could hang our hats on our defense,” Haines said.
That was the case in the third quarter when the Cats held Virginia (2-2) without a point for 6 ½ minutes, put together a 10-0 run and built its largest lead of the day at 32-25.
Kentucky took three charges in the third quarter, including two by Jaida Roper.
“Charges were everything because we knew Virginia was going to want to drive us, drive us, drive us, drive us,” Haines said.
Virginia’s best chance to win came after a Kentucky turnover with 20.1 seconds left.
As the clock wound down, Roper deflected a pass that Virginia’s Amandine Toi retreated toward midcourt to retrieve. Toi then missed a long three-point attempt. Howard secured the rebound, was fouled and made the clinching free throws.
▪ Kentucky’s KeKe McKinney twisted her left ankle and left the game in the final minute of the third quarter and did not return. Mitchell said he did not yet know the severity of the injury.
Next game
Morehead State at No. 13 Kentucky
7 p.m. Thursday (SEC Plus)