Kentucky women’s basketball gives No. 18 Louisville a challenge before falling 73-61
The Kentucky women’s basketball team gave No. 18 Louisville all it wanted defensively in a 73-61 loss to the Cardinals (9-1) at the KFC Yum Center on Sunday afternoon. It was Louisville’s seventh straight victory over UK, and that is now the longest winning streak U of L has had in the rivalry series.
The Wildcats (4-7) remained competitive throughout the majority of three quarters, capitalizing on Louisville’s miscommunication and missteps to force turnovers.
But late in the third quarter, the Cardinals went on a 14-2 run to take their largest lead of the game (nine points) up to that point. During that stretch, and the third quarter as a whole, Louisville successfully contained Kentucky’s most reliable offensive options: Maddie Scherr and Ajae Petty. Scherr and Petty combined for 10 points in the quarter.
Louisville dominated the Wildcats at the start of the fourth quarter, flexing its deeper, bigger and more experienced roster on the way to a double-digit lead in front of a booming Cardinals fan base. UK did, however, manage to cut the lead to as few as five points.
The Cardinals had five players score in double figures: Eylia Love (14 points), Nyla Harris (13), Sydney Taylor (13), Kiki Jefferson (11) and Olivia Cochran (10). Cochran, a senior, recorded her 1,000th career point (and now has 1,003 total) in the victory.
Scherr, making her return to the court after a hard fall in a victory over Boston College on Nov. 30 sent her into concussion protocol, led the Wildcats in scoring with 22 points. She also contributed five rebounds, two assists, one block and three steals. Petty added a double-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals.
Next game
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Rupp Arena
TV: SEC Network + (online only)
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Furman 6-5, Kentucky 4-7
Series: Kentucky leads 1-0
Last meeting: Kentucky won 74-35 on Dec. 6, 2008, at Memorial Coliseum
This story was originally published December 10, 2023 at 4:14 PM.
