Undefeated Kentucky’s point guard the spark plug for rout of Samford
Fueled by a balanced attack, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team staged an offensive clinic on Sunday. Four players reached double figures in scoring as the ninth-ranked Wildcats rolled over Samford 88-54 in Memorial Coliseum.
Kentucky (6-0) was led by its spark-plug point guard who has become a bona fide star. Chasity Patterson did everything against the Bulldogs, scoring a team-high 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including three three-pointers. She dished out four assists and and was a menace on defense, swiping seven steals.
“Chasity is extremely talented and we are so glad that she’s a Wildcat. She fits our system,” UK interim head coach Kyra Elzy said. “The speed that she has is just extremely dangerous. On top of (that), she can score at all three levels. She can get to the rim and finish … she can shoot the mid-range and she can knock down the three, so you have to play her honest.”
Near the end of the third quarter, Patterson finished a layup through contact and sank the free throw to give UK a 32-point lead heading into the fourth.
Rhyne Howard scored 14 points on 5-for-13 shooting and had team highs with seven rebounds and six assists. She said Patterson’s stellar play at point guard fuels the Cats on both ends of the court.
“It’s great to have her on the floor, especially with her being as fast as she is,” Howard said. “She’s stopping the ball on defense and making plays on offense. She’s looking to create for others oftentimes and she can also create for herself.”
Asked if she ever feels bad for her overmatched point guard counterparts while harassing them into turnovers and stonewalling their offensive games, Patterson laughed.
“No, no. When we step on the court it’s just straight ball. I’m competing,” she said. “When I come into the game my mindset is just to be aggressive on the ball and put pressure on the other point guard. That’s my mindset coming into every game, try to force turnovers and just make it easier for my team.”
Dre’una Edwards owned the paint for UK in the first half. She scored all 15 of her points before the break, knocking down seven of nine shots from the field. Had she not dealt with foul trouble much of the second half, Edwards could have put together an even bigger game. She also chipped in six rebounds and four assists.
Edwards has three double-doubles in her first six games as a Wildcat. Her skill and toughness in the post has been transformative this season.
“Having an inside presence changes the dynamic of our offense,” Elzy said.
Fresh off scoring a career high in UK’s win over Marshall, Blair Green was again dialed-in on offense. She scored 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting, knocking down two of three shots from the perimeter. Robyn Benton came off the bench to chip in nine points while reserve forward Olivia Owens scored seven and grabbed three rebounds.
Both of Samford’s starting forwards spent the majority of the second quarter on the bench after picking up two fouls apiece and Edwards went to work in their absence. Her rebound putback pulled the Wildcats ahead 32-19. Moments later, Edwards powered home a layup while getting fouled then sank the free throw to make it 38-24.
Kentucky held Samford (1-5) without a field goal for nearly five minutes as the second quarter wound down. Andrea Cournoyer finally ended the drought with a late three to pull the Bulldogs within 50-31 at halftime. Cournoyer led Samford with 14 points.
Howard, Green and Patterson hit three consecutive three-pointers to open the third quarter as the Cats quickly pushed ahead by 28.
Kentucky closed the game on a 9-1 run. The Wildcats combined for 23 assists on 33 field goals and shot 52 percent from the floor.
McKinney returns
KeKe McKinney returned to the starting lineup against Samford after a shoulder injury kept her out of Wednesday’s rout of Marshall. The senior forward got on the board early Sunday, knocking down a 10-foot jumper that pulled UK ahead 4-3. The Wildcats never trailed again.
McKinney pitched in four points, five rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes. Kentucky sophomore guard Emma King missed her fourth consecutive game because of COVID-19 safety protocols.
Date with the Demons
Next up for the Wildcats is their second bout with a ranked opponent. Kentucky will face No. 24 DePaul (1-2) on the road in Chicago at 3 p.m. EST Wednesday. The Blue Demons were scheduled to host Loyola-Chicago on Sunday afternoon in their first game since No. 5 Louisville dealt them a 116-75 loss on Dec. 4.
DePaul’s scheduled Big East matchups with Villanova and Xavier were postponed because of COVID-19 protocols. A non-conference trip to Kent State scheduled for last Wednesday was canceled.
Kentucky native Lexi Held is one of five Blue Demons averaging double-figure scoring. The 5-foot-10 guard from Burlington who graduated from Cooper High School averages 16.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Held was an All-Big East Honorable Mention performer last season as a sophomore and was voted the most outstanding player of the Big East Tournament after scoring 31 points to lead the Blue Demons to an 88-74 victory over Marquette in the championship game.
Dee Bekelja leads the Blue Demons in scoring (19.0 points per game) and rebounding (4.7). The 5-foot-8 senior guard scored 18 points and hit two three-pointers in DePaul’s loss to Louisville.
Next game
No. 9 Kentucky at No. 24 DePaul
When: 3 p.m. EST Wednesday
Live video broadcast: DePaulBlueDemons.com (online only)
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 4:06 PM.
