Howard’s return, Patterson’s career day not enough for UK women at Arkansas
The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team got its biggest star back and got a masterful performance from a rising newcomer, but the splash sisters of Arkansas ruined the party on Sunday.
Chelsea Dungee and Alexis Tolefree combined for 54 points as the 25th-ranked Razorbacks used red-hot shooting to knock off No. 15 Kentucky 103-85 in Fayetteville. With the win, Arkansas (19-5 overall, 7-4 SEC) snapped a 10-game losing streak to UK (18-5, 7-4). It’s the first time this season an opponent has scored 100 or more points against the Cats.
“Just got whipped today,” Kentucky Coach Matthew Mitchell said on the UK Radio Network postgame show. “We just didn’t bring it. It’s very disappointing … we couldn’t come close to playing with the kind of passion and energy that Arkansas had.”
UK sophomore guard Rhyne Howard returned to the lineup after a three-game absence because of a broken finger she sustained in UK’s win over Auburn on Jan. 27. Mitchell originally predicted Howard would be out until mid-February. The Wildcats went 2-1 in her absence.
Against the Razorbacks, Howard played with a splint and a large helping of tape. She struggled in the first quarter, missing four of five shots and turning the ball over three times.
Howard finished with 20 points on 7-for-21 shooting. She also had three rebounds and two assists.
“It was a big adjustment for her to come back, she really worked hard,” Mitchell said. “I thought she got frustrated early with how physical the game was. We’ve just got to figure out a way to play through that … She’s out there giving it everything she has so it’s great to have her but I think there will be an adjustment period there.”
Junior guard Chasity Patterson came off the bench and erupted for a career-high 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting. She knocked down five of seven shots from three-point range.
“She played really great offense and is a very talented scorer,” Mitchell said of Patterson.
Dungee scored 24 points for the Razorbacks. A preseason first-team All-SEC honoree, Dungee hit all four of her three-point shots. Tolefree knocked down five of 10 shots from long-range on her way to 30 points.
Howard took the first shot of the game and came up short under the basket, but Ogechi Anyagaligbo rebounded the miss and scored. Shortly after that, Howard drove to the basket and finished through contact to put UK up 7-5. She made another contested shot underneath early in the second quarter, but shortly thereafter picked up her second foul and sat for the remainder of the first half.
With Howard on the bench, Arkansas went on a 12-0 run while UK missed five straight shots. A Dungee three-pointer put the Razorbacks ahead 33-23 before Blair Green ended UK’s drought with a layup. Jaida Roper sank a pretty one-handed floater in the lane as time expired in the second quarter to pull UK within 38-35.
Arkansas outscored the Cats 33-19 in the third quarter to pull away.
Roper added nine points and six assists for Kentucky. Arkansas won the rebound battle 37-23 and shot 59 percent from the field while UK shot 46 percent.
The Razorbacks and Wildcats entered the game ranked first and second, respectively, in the SEC in made three-pointers per game. Arkansas got the best of the long-range duel Sunday, hitting 14 of 21 shots from the perimeter. UK hit 11 of 30.
Next game
No. 8 Mississippi State at No. 15 Kentucky
5 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2)
