Howard’s buzzer-beater off the mark as UK comes up short against Louisville
After dominating an early schedule full of clearly inferior opponents, it was fair to wonder how the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team would stack up against top-tier competition. On Sunday, though they came up just short of victory, the Wildcats proved their success thus far was no fluke.
Rhyne Howard’s three-pointer at the buzzer clanged off the rim and No. 14 Kentucky fell to No. 7 Louisville, 67-66, in Rupp Arena.
“We’re disappointed to lose today. You hate the outcome there,” UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. “But (I’m) real proud of our players … I couldn’t think any more of them for their approach they took to get ready for what we knew was going to be a tough basketball game. Just to come up one point short certainly stings … you just have to give U of L a lot of credit. They played really hard as well. They always do. They made one more play than we did and they will get the benefit of the victory, but I think we learned a lot from this game.”
Howard rebounded from a slow start to lead Kentucky (10-1) with 26 points, hitting nine of 23 shots from the field and seven of eight free throws. She keyed a big second-quarter run that gave the Wildcats a 40-31 advantage at the break.
It was clear from the outset that Louisville’s strategy centered around making life difficult for Howard. The Cardinals double-teamed her early, even when she didn’t have the ball, forcing her to catch passes well beyond the perimeter.
Howard missed her first five shots and appeared visibly frustrated early in the first quarter, but her struggles were short-lived. She scored her first points off a set play out of a timeout, racing around a double screen to catch a pass then finishing strong at the basket to pull UK within 11-10. Her three-pointer off a screen tied the game at 13-13.
Howard owned the second quarter, pouring in 16 points as the Wildcats outscored the Cardinals 24-10 in the period. She scored UK’s first nine points of the quarter, tying the game at 25-25 on a step-back jumper just inside the three-point line. On the Wildcats’ next possession, Sabrina Haines sank a three-pointer while getting fouled. She pumped her fists and yelled toward her teammates as the crowd erupted, then hit the free throw to make it 29-25 Kentucky.
For a short stretch in the third quarter, it looked like UK might be on its way to a comfortable win. Tatyana Wyatt’s three-pointer stretched the advantage to 55-45. But Louisville (10-1) closed the quarter on a 13-0 run, taking a 58-55 lead on Bionca Dunham’s tip-in at the buzzer.
Late in the fourth quarter the teams traded buckets. A Howard three tied the game at 64-64, then Kylee Shook gave the Cardinals a 67-64 lead on a three-pointer. Haines soon after hit a pair of free throws and a rebound by Wyatt with 11 seconds left gave the Wildcats one final shot.
“We made a good play there at the end defensively and basically had them in transition defense,” Mitchell said. “I wish we would have driven it to the basket … they weren’t quite organized, and Rhyne was pretty deep. But it was a good look and she makes them a lot. I was more than happy to have the ball in her hand at the end to take the shot. It didn’t go, but she’ll learn from it.”
Louisville’s size proved to be a problem for the Cats. The Cardinals trounced Kentucky on the boards, winning the rebound battle 37-17, and outscored the Cats in the paint 36-16. Shook, a senior forward, had a huge game for the Cardinals with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. She went 3-for-5 from the three-point line and made it difficult for Kentucky’s guards to get to the rim. Junior guard Dana Evans led the Cards with 18 points and 10 assists.
Next game
No. 14 Kentucky at California
7 p.m. Saturday
This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 3:20 PM.
