Without suspended superstar, UK women’s basketball opens Elzy era with blowout win
A new era for the University of Kentucky women’s basketball program got off to a strange and successful start on Wednesday.
In their first game under interim head coach Kyra Elzy, the 11th-ranked Wildcats dominated Murray State, 86-60, in Memorial Coliseum behind a huge game from senior guard Chasity Patterson. But it was the absence of another guard that sent the first shock wave through Big Blue Nation.
About an hour before tip-off, UK announced that preseason Associated Press All-American and national player of the year candidate Rhyne Howard had been suspended for two games “for not upholding the standards of the program.”
Also suspended was Tatyana Wyatt, a senior forward who started 20 games for Kentucky last season. Wyatt was suspended three games for an unspecified violation of team rules.
Elzy declined after the game to go into detail about what prompted the suspensions, but said they were not related to violations of COVID-19 protocols.
“Both of these young ladies are great people. They made a bad mistake and are holding (themselves) accountable,” Elzy said. “I am 100-percent confident that they will be intentional about making better decisions moving forward and I am confident that they will be ready to help this team move forward to achieve the goals that we have set out.”
Dressed in street clothes, Howard and Wyatt cheered on the Wildcats from the bench area, where players and coaches were socially distanced. A sparse but enthusiastic crowd, spread apart in small clusters, took in the game along with a smattering of cardboard cutouts containing images of fans — and a few dogs.
Patterson, a transfer from Texas who was UK’s second-leading scorer last season after becoming eligible following the first semester, quickly filled the offensive void against the Racers. She scored UK’s first nine points, hitting a pair of three-pointers and completing an and-one opportunity to make it 9-5 Cats.
Patterson was perfect in the first quarter, hitting all four of her field goals and going 3-for-3 from the foul line en route to 13 points as UK built a 30-14 advantage. She scored 21 points in the first half as UK headed to the locker room with a 51-26 lead.
Patterson finished with 30 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three assists. She also swiped eight steals, menacing Murray State’s guards all game long. UK generated 32 turnovers, leading to 40 points.
“We can’t mimic that in practice,” Murray State Coach Rechelle Turner said. “Chasity Patterson, she’s just a beast defensively. We knew she was going to give us lots of trouble … They just get after you and they stay after you, they’re relentless ... they’re a really good basketball team and they’re just going to get better and better.”
Early in the third quarter after sophomore forward Dre’una Edwards powered home a layup for her first career points as a Wildcat, Patterson stole the inbounds pass and scored, prompting a Murray State timeout. She generated a fast break with another steal following the timeout.
“So proud of Chasity Patterson,” Elzy said. “She has been intentional all summer about taking responsibility and playing the point guard position. I thought she was aggressive offensively … she made sure that we got into our sets and ran our plays efficiently and effectively. But, I am super proud about how hard she played defensively.”
While Patterson was busy lighting up the scoreboard, a newcomer flashed the potential to provide the Wildcats a dangerous new element. Maryland transfer Olivia Owens was brought in to help shore up a frontcourt that has at times in recent years been an Achilles heel for the Cats.
Owens, a 6-foot-4 center, looked right at home patrolling the post. She came off the bench to score seven points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, despite dealing with foul trouble. She out-muscled the Racers in the paint all afternoon and fouled out with 1:16 to play, exiting the court amid a nice ovation from the small crowd.
“I thought she had a great showing. Obviously, she was nervous,” Elzy said of Owens’ debut as a Wildcat. “I think she gives us the physical presence that we are looking for.”
Blair Green was UK’s second-leading scorer with 13 points, matching her career high. The junior guard also chipped in four rebounds and three assists. Freshman guard Treasure Hunt scored 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
Elzy said it was not easy to suspend Howard and Wyatt, but the move was in the best interest of the players and the program.
“It’s a very difficult decision. We have not played basketball since March. You want everybody to take the floor,” Elzy said. “But at the end of the day, my job as the leader of this program … is to make sure that our players are held accountable and they are responsible.
“I love them enough not to turn my head when mistakes are made and we have to make those type of decisions.”
In addition to missing Wednesday’s game against Murray State, Howard will have to sit out Sunday afternoon’s contest against Belmont in Memorial Coliseum. She will be eligible to make her season debut Dec. 3 at Kansas State in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.
Wyatt will miss the Murray State, Belmont and Kansas State games and be eligible to return Dec. 6 when the Wildcats host No. 16 Indiana.
Kentucky’s starters against Murray State were Patterson, Green, Edwards, senior forward KeKe McKinney and sophomore guard Emma King.
Next game
Belmont at No. 11 Kentucky
4 p.m. Sunday (SEC Network)
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 3:10 PM.
