Rhyne Howard’s career day fuels Kentucky’s bounce-back win over Tennessee
After a humbling 27-point loss at No. 4 South Carolina to open Southeastern Conference play, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team was in desperate need of a bounce-back effort against No. 22 Tennessee. Thanks to another career day from sophomore supertstar Rhyne Howard, the Cats delivered just that.
Howard scored a career-high 37 points, leading No. 13 Kentucky to an 80-76 victory over the Volunteers in front of a rowdy crowd of 5,516 in Memorial Coliseum on Sunday. Her total is also the most points scored by an SEC player so far this season.
In the closing moments of the game she pulled down a pair of crucial rebounds and hit some big free throws to turn back a late Tennessee push and give the Wildcats their second straight victory over the Vols. It’s the second time in the all-time series between the programs that Kentucky has won back-to-back matchups.
“It’s a big step forward,” UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. “So proud of us jumping on them early and then building a lead … showed a lot of toughness today to get that victory.”
Howard hit 12 of 27 shots from the field, including seven of 13 from three-point range. She also had a game-high nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Sabrina Haines, who contributed 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, was shocked when she heard Howard’s stat line on the way to the postgame press conference.
“Oh my gosh, I didn’t even know she had 37 until literally right before I walked in here. I was like ‘you had 37? Like, three-seven?’’’ Haines said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: She is an amazing player and it’s really an honor to be able to play with her … She’s also so unselfish along with that. She had 37, but she won’t force a shot. She’ll make the best play for whatever is available.”
Kentucky’s lack of size plagued it in losses to Louisville and South Carolina. The Wildcats were crushed on the boards in both setbacks. That didn’t bode well ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Volunteers, statistically-speaking the best rebounding team in the country.
But Kentucky (11-2, 1-1 SEC) rose to the challenge, neutralizing the Volunteers’ size edge through a combination of red-hot shooting and a newfound dedication to attacking the glass. UK outrebounded Tennessee 19-17 in the first half, and went on to lose the rebounding battle by just five, 41-36. That was a far cry from the 40-20 disparity they suffered against the Gamecocks.
“We needed a mindset change (after the South Carolina loss),” Mitchell said. “Obviously, we didn’t get a whole lot stronger or faster or taller between Thursday night and Sunday … I thought we really got on the offensive boards early in the game and that showed that we were hustling.”
While they were battling on the boards, the Wildcats were also busy lighting it up from the perimeter. They hit 13 of 27 shots from beyond the arc while Tennessee hit three of 11.
KeKe McKinney scored UK’s first points, knocking down a corner three after Howard rifled her a pass out of a double-team. Howard then nailed three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, the first an NBA-range bomb from straightaway off a screen and the second a wide-open look off an out-of-bounds play, to give the Cats their first lead at 9-6.
McKinney and Haines hit three pointers early in the second quarter to give UK its biggest advantage at 27-14. That’s when the Cats went cold.
Tennessee (11-2, 1-1 SEC) chipped away at the lead, going on a 14-2 run during a stretch in which UK went 1-for-12 from the field. Jazmine Massengill’s fall-away jumper put Tennessee ahead 35-33 at halftime.
Kentucky charged ahead in the third quarter thanks to another barrage from Howard. Her pair of treys and a run-out layup off a steal were part of a 14-2 run that put the Cats ahead 47-37. In the fourth, Haines’ three-pointer made it 63-53 Cats with 6:05 to play.
Tennessee cut it to 72-66 on a pair of free throws with 2:35 to go. After the Vols got within four, Howard drove to the basket through a double-team and finished at the rim to make it 74-68. She grabbed a tough rebound off a Tennessee miss with less than a minute to play, then hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back to six. On UT’s next possession she grabbed another rebound and hit one of two foul shots to put the game away.
Next game
No. 13 Kentucky at Alabama
8 p.m. Thursday (SEC Plus)
This story was originally published January 5, 2020 at 6:18 PM.
