Kentucky women’s basketball on the wrong side of second-half comeback by Tennessee
After Kentucky’s women’s basketball team used a dominant offensive attack, aggressive defense and a winning performance in the battle of the boards to control much of the first half, coach Kyra Elzy and her players expected a sleepy Tennessee squad to look different after the break.
They were right. After the Wildcats had led by as many as 17 points, the Lady Vols rallied for an 87-69 victory Sunday.
“I thought the third quarter, we started with giving up offensive rebounds,” Elzy said. “Which is what we talked about at halftime. You know, one thing that I challenged the team with was, they’re gonna come out and try to offensive rebound the ball, which we were boxing out early. I thought we were a little more lax coming out of the third.”
The Wildcats (8-8, 1-1 SEC) were in step during the first two quarters, building that 17-point lead while Tennessee (9-5, 2-0) was slow to the boards and struggling with poor passing and shot selection. Keeping their foot on the gas has been necessary all season for the Wildcats — a group harmed time and time again by streaky scoring — and, when a late-second quarter push led by Tennessee guard Jewel Spear got the Lady Vols within 10, Tennessee coach Kellie Harper knew her team had what it needed to turn the tide.
“I thought getting the the lead down before the half was very critical,” Harper said. “And I thought Jewel was being very aggressive. I thought that she played with a little bit renewed confidence and aggressiveness.“
Harper’s assessment was correct, and the Wildcats’ lead dwindled bit by bit as UK fell into its all-too-common trap of allowing its defensive mistakes to affect its offense. As the Lady Vols turned their 10-point halftime deficit into an 18-point victory, after the break the Wildcats turned the ball over nine times, committed a whopping 14 personal fouls and shot just 23.5% (8-for-34) from the field.
“We found our rhythm in the first half,” Elzy said. “We got to be able to do it consistently. And so we got to take the small victories of what we learned in the first half and be able to do that consistently in the second half.”
The second half also brought 20-plus scoring games for both Spear (21 points) and likely first-round 2024 WNBA draft Rickea Jackson (27). Sixteen of Jackson’s points came after the break. Her final statement before exiting the postgame press conference?
“Don’t take a Benadryl before a game.”
Ajae Petty vs. Tamari Key
Kentucky’s game against rival Tennessee presented a tough matchup for each Wildcat on the floor, but none more so than Ajae Petty going against Tennessee redshirt senior center Tamari Key, who was celebrated ahead of Sunday’s game for passing 300 blocks for her career.
Petty has been the driving force for the Wildcats’ offense all season, finding ways to execute in the paint through 16 games. The first half against Tennessee was business as usual for the senior forward.
Petty was well on her way to what would become her ninth double-double of the season through the first half, where she managed to weave in and out of Tennessee’s defensive sets meant to contain her. Petty had 12 points and seven rebounds at halftime. While she grabbed seven more boards in the second half, Petty was limited to just two points after the break. The difference? A major increase in playing time for Key.
Key, who has been working her way back to her typical self since missing the majority of last season because of blood clots in her lungs, played just four of her more than 15 minutes of playing time in the first half. But her presence, though slight, was still felt — finishing the first two quarters with two blocks.
Key, who said after the game she wants to be “a defensive anchor,” made a major impact in the second half when she blocked four more shots, with each one getting a louder roar from Tennessee fans than the last. She was also responsible for limiting Petty’s offense.
“Going in, we knew that they were going to like sit back in the paint and wait,” Elzy said. “Though, she’s long. She’s 6-7. So, yeah, she’s 6-7. That’s all I can say.”
Needing the bench
A bright spot for the Wildcats? Three players — Eniya Russell (16), Maddie Scherr (13) and Saniah Tyler (10) — joined Petty in double figures in scoring, with Russell and Tyler doing so off the bench. In fact, Russell, who led the Wildcats with 16 points, didn’t sub into the game until the 9:21 mark of the second quarter.
“I thought Eniya Russell came in and made a big difference for us,” Elzy said. “A bigger guard. Her ability to drive downhill to finish, you know, actually got in the passing lane. I challenged her to fly around defensively.”
Elzy commended her bench, calling it “an X-factor” for the team. She mentioned that she challenges the bench each game to produce 20-plus points and 15-plus rebounds. Russell and Tyler accounted for all Kentucky’s bench points, while the pair combined with guard Amiya Jenkins and freshman forward Janaé Walker for a total of 10 rebounds.
Jenkins, who returned from missing five games due to a shoulder injury to score a career-high 20 points in the Wildcats’ win over Lipscomb, has served as a reliable spark off the bench in games past, but she was limited to one rebound, one steal and zero points (while committing three turnovers) in less than six minutes of play against Tennessee. Elzy said Jenkins is still finding her way back from those missed games.
“Mimi’s a talented player, and a player that we are going to need,” Elzy said. “She did struggle today, but that’s par of the course, you know, as you’re trying to get back. She’s been out of some games and just trying to find her rhythm.”
Elzy also noted that her message to Jenkins is to stay confident, and keep pushing forward.
“Play through it,” Elzy said. “Today wasn’t your day, but the next game will be.”
The Wildcats’ next game poses a definite challenge: Vanderbilt (15-1, 2-0) at home. Head coach Shea Ralph’s Commodores, which feature three players averaging double figures in scoring — Jordyn Cambridge, Sacha Washington and Iyana Moore — appear to be on a tremendous upward swing after finishing the 2022-23 season with an overall record of 12-19 and 3-13 in the SEC and being picked last by media in the SEC preseason poll.
Vanderbilt easily bested last season’s overall record during nonconference play, with its lone loss coming in the form of an eight-point defeat to ACC favorite North Carolina State, and it has the opportunity to match last year’s league win total against the Wildcats on Thursday. The Commodores are coming off a six-point victory against Florida.
Next game
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
TV: SEC Network+
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 8-8 (1-1 SEC), Vanderbilt 15-1 (2-0 SEC)
Series: Kentucky leads 38-27
Last meeting: Vanderbilt won 79-59 on Feb. 19, 2023, in Nashville
This story was originally published January 7, 2024 at 5:31 PM.
