Rhyne Howard ties Kentucky single-game scoring record as Cats beat Alabama
Rhyne Howard just can’t seem to stop etching her name throughout the University of Kentucky women’s basketball record book.
The sophomore star scored a career-high 43 points, tying the UK single-game scoring record, to lead the Wildcats to an 81-71 victory over Alabama in Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa on Thursday. Howard surpassed her previous career mark of 37 she set in a win over No. 22 Tennessee on Sunday. Her effort matched the 43 points scored by Jennifer O’Neill against Baylor in 2013.
Kentucky also set a single-game team record for three-pointers, making 16 of 31 shots from the perimeter.
With 38 seconds left in the game, UK Coach Matthew Mitchell called a timeout. Howard had a shot to capture the scoring record outright, but her jumper came up short.
“Everything was just falling for me,” Howard said on the UK Radio Network post-game show. “I don’t even know what the difference was, I was just making all my shots. My teammates, they just kept giving me the ball and setting screens for me.”
If not for an uncharacteristic performance at the foul line, Howard would likely have the scoring record all to herself. She entered the game having hit 80 percent of her free throws on the year, but went 8-for-13 on Thursday.
“I’m on my free throw drought,” Howard said with a laugh. “I think everyone on the team has gone through it and it’s just my turn.”
Still, Mitchell had no cause for complaint when asked about Howard’s effort.
“It’s a tremendous performance. (She) played really, really hard tonight,” Mitchell said. “What an incredible shooter ... It’s just amazing. She really worked hard for it. It’s not like she was unguarded. It’s got to be frustrating for the opposing coach. I thought Alabama really played hard and was well-prepared, but just ran into an unstoppable player tonight.”
Howard became the first player in program history to score at least 25 points in five straight games, breaking the record of four straight she briefly shared with UK legend Valerie Still.
Behind big first-half efforts from Howard and Amanda Paschal, the 14th-ranked Wildcats shook off a slow start and held the Crimson Tide at bay. It was the first leg of a stretch in which UK plays four of six games on the road.
Howard hit 14 of 21 shots from the field, including seven of 11 three-pointers, and added six rebounds and five steals. Paschal finished with 10 points. The pair provided a much-needed lift on offense while the rest of the team struggled.
Starting forward KeKe McKinney missed the game because of severe headaches, leaving an already undersized UK front court even more thin as reserve center Nae Nae Cole served the last of a three-game suspension for what a press release from the school described as “not upholding the standards of the program.” Cole is eligible to return Sunday when the Cats face Florida in Gainesville.
Sophomore Blair Green made her first career start in place of McKinney, scoring seven points and dishing out five assists. Alabama (10-6, 0-3 SEC) took advantage of Kentucky’s lack of size early, using a dribble-drive offense to get to the rim for easy baskets and several trips to the free throw line. The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 5-0 advantage and led 15-9 at the end of the first quarter as the Wildcats hit just three of their first 17 shots from the field.
Kentucky (13-2, 2-1 SEC) surged ahead as Howard and Paschal caught fire in the second quarter. Back-to-back threes from Paschal got the Cats within 16-15. Moments later, Howard scored five straight points, including a three-pointer off a set play out of a timeout, to give UK a 24-22 lead. Paschal and Howard were responsible for all but three points of a 16-2 Kentucky run to close the half. The Wildcats outscored Alabama 28-9 in the second quarter to take a 37-24 halftime lead.
Howard and Paschal combined to hit 11 of 16 shots in the first half. The rest of the Cats went 3-for-21.
Alabama opened the second half on a 6-0 run to pull within 37-30, prompting a UK timeout. Green hit a three-pointer out of the stoppage to push the lead back to 10. Off a pass from Green, Sabrina Haines made a three from the corner as time expired in the third quarter to make it 61-49 Cats. Haines finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
Howard’s sixth three-pointer of the game put UK ahead 67-55 with seven minutes left to play.
Next game
No. 14 Kentucky at Florida
Noon Sunday (ESPNU)
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 10:30 PM.
