Howard and Mitchell reach milestones as UK knocks off No. 6 Bulldogs
With March Madness right around the corner, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team now has a signature win to pad its NCAA Tournament résumé. Rhyne Howard scored 26 points and the 18th-ranked Wildcats toppled No. 6 Mississippi State, 73-62, in Memorial Coliseum on Sunday. It was the first win against a top-10 team for Kentucky (19-5 overall, 8-4 SEC) since 2017.
“I just don’t know how you can ask more of the team,” UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. “They really fought hard … and went out and earned a big win for us. Proud of them.”
In her second game back after breaking her pinkie and playing with a brace on her left hand, Howard hit 10 of 22 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds. With her effort against the Bulldogs, she became the second-fastest player in program history — behind Valerie Still — to join the 1,000-point club. Howard has now scored 1,012 points in 53 games as a Wildcat. She reached the milestone on a layup for UK’s first points of the second half.
Howard wasn’t the only Wildcat to make personal history against the Bulldogs. Sunday’s win was Mitchell’s 300th as UK’s head coach.
Kentucky battled hard in the post with the much bigger Bulldogs and lost the rebound battle by just one, 36-35.
Early on it looked like the Cats might get run out of the gym. Mississippi State (22-4, 10-2) ripped off three straight fast-break baskets to take a 6-0 lead, but the script quickly flipped after Mitchell called a timeout. A bank shot from Ogechi Anyagaligbo ignited a 12-0 Kentucky run that included seven points from Chasity Patterson off the bench.
“She really gives them a different dimension,” Mississippi State Coach Vic Schaefer said of Patterson’s skill set. “She’s another player that can create her own shot. So now you’ve got Howard and her and that makes them really difficult (to defend).”
Patterson pitched in 15 points, going six of 11 from the field.
Next game
No. 18 Kentucky at Mississippi
8 p.m. Thursday (SEC Plus)
This story was originally published February 16, 2020 at 7:14 PM.
