A Kentucky native matches her career high as Wildcats rout nation’s No. 12 team
Blair Green matched her career high, scoring 13 points to help spark No. 11 Kentucky to a 76-54 victory over No. 12 Texas A&M in Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night. With the win, Kentucky (15-2, 4-1 SEC) snapped a four-game losing streak to the Aggies (14-3, 2-2).
Rhyne Howard hit just one of her first six shots but quickly found her form. She scored a game-high 24 and had 11 rebounds.
The Wildcats couldn’t buy a bucket early, starting the game 1-for-8 and missing their first seven three-point tries. But they rebounded to take control in the second quarter, outscoring the Aggies 21-8 in the period on their way to a 33-21 halftime lead.
Green, a Harlan County native, made a pair of threes in the second quarter. Howard sparked UK’s run with a three-pointer and a mid-range jumper on back-to-back possessions before spending the final 8:41 of the first half on the bench with two fouls. Kentucky outscored Texas A&M 16-8 during Howard’s absence.
A highly anticipated matchup of Howard and another of the nation’s best players didn’t materialize. Texas A&M junior guard Chennedy Carter missed the game because of an ankle injury she suffered in the Aggies’ three-point loss to LSU last week. Carter, who was voted Preseason SEC Player of the Year by both the media and the league’s coaches, was limited to just 17 minutes against the Tigers.
Missing McKinney
KeKe McKinney missed her third straight game on Thursday. The junior forward from Knoxville, Tenn., has been experiencing frequent migraine-type headaches, according to UK. Green made her third straight start in place of McKinney, who was in street clothes helping her teammates with drills before the game.
McKinney is averaging 6.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. She last played in Kentucky’s win over Tennessee, contributing eight points and four rebounds.
Next game
No. 11 Kentucky at LSU
2 p.m. EST Sunday (SEC Network)
