Kentucky women’s basketball lets 17-point lead slip away in loss at Tennessee
The Kentucky women’s basketball team failed to build upon an impressive first-half showing on Sunday afternoon and fell 87-69 to rival Tennessee (9-5) on the road. The Wildcats have yet to win a game outside of Lexington’s city limits this season.
After a first-play bucket in transition served as a worrisome start for the Wildcats (8-8, 1-1 SEC), Kyra Elzy’s roster bounced back in a big way, laying the foundation for a dominant second quarter. The Wildcats capitalized on seven turnovers by Tennessee (9-5, 2-0), converting those into seven points en route to an 18-14 Kentucky lead.
Despite shooting nearly 10% better than Kentucky in the first quarter, and tying the Wildcats’ first-half shooting percentage at an even 50%, the Lady Vols struggled to compensate for the Wildcats’ off-ball defense (which resulted in seven first-half steals).
In the second quarter, Kentucky kept its foot on the gas and shot 60%. The Wildcats led by as many as 17 points thanks to double-figure scoring performances from Ajae Petty and Saniah Tyler, as well as a pair of clutch 3-pointers from Cassidy Rowe.
But Tennessee started its rally before halftime and continued to control the game into the third quarter, whittling down the double-digit deficit to four — with the Wildcats leading 55-51 with more than six minutes to play in the period — thanks to a 7-0 run that brought the Lady Vols faithful to their feet as a clearly frustrated Elzy was forced to call a timeout. The run was reminiscent of Arkansas’ third-quarter push in Thursday night’s game, which the Wildcats did, ultimately, manage to overcome.
Unfortunately for UK, the Lady Vols’ defensive pressure extended the run, which included five Wildcats turnovers, and UT tied the game at 55-all with 4:33 to play in the third quarter. Tennessee continued its dominance in the final 10 minutes of the game, taking a double-digit lead more than halfway through the fourth quarter. By the end, UK had committed 14 turnovers.
Tennessee’s comeback was fueled by 6-6 center Tamari Key’s inside defense (she had six blocked shots) and the offensive one-two punch of Rickea Jackson and Jewel Spear. Also notable was the substantial improvement in shot selection by the Lady Vols, and the return of Kentucky’s streaky shooting. The Wildcats shot just 23.5% from the field in the second half, and Tennessee improved to 57.1%.
Jackson finished with 27 points, and Spear added 21.
Eniya Russell led the Wildcats in scoring with 16 points to go with five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Ajae Petty recorded a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds, plus made two steals. Also scoring in double figures for UK was Maddie Scherr (13), who fouled out for the second straight game, and Saniah Tyler (10).
This story was originally published January 7, 2024 at 2:11 PM.
