Rhyne Howard’s big night pushes Kentucky past Georgia. Cats can now clinch SEC bye.
With the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team facing a pivotal battle in the Southeastern Conference race, the Wildcats’ superstar delivered once again.
Rhyne Howard scored a game-high 27 points and drained a clutch three-pointer late, leading No. 19 Kentucky to a 62-58 victory over No. 17 Georgia in Athens on Thursday night. Kentucky (16-6 overall, 9-5 SEC) can now lock up a top-four seed and double-bye into the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament with a win over Mississippi in Memorial Coliseum in Sunday’s regular-season finale.
“This game was vital,” UK Coach Kyra Elzy said. “We knew we had to come here and take care of business.”
After trailing by as many as 10 points multiple times, Georgia (17-5, 9-5 SEC) pulled within two as the Wildcats went scoreless for more than four minutes to open the fourth quarter. Howard nailed a three to end the drought and extend the lead to 54-49. After Georgia again drew within one possession, Howard made another three-pointer to make it 59-53 UK with 2:48 to go. She came up with a steal with 14 seconds left, leading to a pair of free throws by Tatyana Wyatt.
Chasity Patterson hit one of two free throws with four seconds remaining to seal the win. Patterson scored 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting and swiped three steals.
“That was a dagger,” Elzy said of Howard’s late three to extend the lead to six. “She continues to prove why she is the best ... she just changes the dynamic of the game. So proud of her, I thought she played extremely aggressive offensively.”
Howard did a bit of everything against the Bulldogs — no surprise, as the junior phenom entered the game as the only player in the SEC to lead her team in scoring, rebounds and assists. Howard made 10 of 16 shots from the field — including all four from beyond the arc — and had four rebounds, two assists and four steals.
“I definitely knew my team was counting on me tonight to come out and have a big game,” Howard said. “Tonight, for me, shots were just falling and my teammates were finding me on all the open looks and I was just able to capitalize.”
Howard and her teammates understood the stakes heading into Thursday’s matchup. Had the Cats lost and fallen two games behind Georgia in the SEC standings, it would have virtually slammed the door on their chances to earn one of those four coveted double byes. After the victory, UK controls its own destiny in that respect.
“We knew that we were gonna be in a dogfight with Georgia,” Howard said. “We don’t want to get to the (SEC) tournament and have to play four games in four days. It’s always hard to win like that, it’s going to take a toll on your body. So get all the big wins when you can and it’ll be helpful in the tournament.”
The Cats got off to a promising start Thursday, with a layup by Howard capping a 6-0 run to give UK a 6-2 lead. The Bulldogs reclaimed the advantage and pushed ahead 12-8 as senior guard Gabby Connally scored seven straight points. Georgia led 16-15 after one quarter.
Kentucky caught fire early in the second. A layup from Wyatt began an 11-0 run by the Wildcats that included seven points from Howard. Her first three-pointer of the night gave the Cats a 28-21 edge and prompted a timeout by the Bulldogs as a fired-up Howard headed to the sideline and celebrated with her teammates. A jumper out of the stoppage by Connally stemmed the tide, but the Cats closed the quarter on a 6-0 run. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Patterson gave UK a 34-24 halftime lead.
Though Howard scored a game-high 12 points in the first half, Wyatt’s contributions were just as important. The senior forward matched her season-high in scoring before halftime with nine. She was part of a great defensive effort against Georgia’s Jenna Staiti, helping hold the talented center to four points and one rebound in the first half. Wyatt finished with 11 points and six boards. Staiti led the Bulldogs with 16 points.
Georgia opened the second quarter with a 12-5 run to pull within 39-36. Back-to-back buckets by Patterson steadied the Cats, who pulled back ahead by 10 on a step-back three from Howard. UK led 51-44 heading into the fourth quarter.
The teams fought to a stalemate in the post, with each grabbing 36 rebounds and scoring 26 points in the paint. The Cats forced 17 turnovers and converted them into 22 points. UK turned the ball over 15 times.
Wildcats honored for march
On Thursday the entire Kentucky team was named to the 2021 Southeastern Conference Community Service Team for its work organizing a social justice march and unity fair on the school’s campus last September.
Members of the team sought this offseason to bring awareness to police brutality, inform their peers about how social justice issues affect the Black community, encourage their peers to vote, demand action on injustices, and provide mental health information and resources. The team led a march through campus then held a unity fair to engage in conversations with peers and community members.
As part of the unity fair, UK Police Department Chief Joe Monroe participated in a question-and-answer session. Other UK sports teams, employees, fans and community members participated.
This marks the 23rd year for the SEC Community Service Team for women’s and men’s basketball. All league-sponsored sports have had a Community Service Team since 2004, with at-large teams for men’s and women’s sports being chosen from 1999-2003. The SEC began this concept with a football Community Service Team in 1994.
Next game
Mississippi at No. 19 Kentucky
When: Noon Sunday
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 9:24 PM.
