Janee Thompson’s career night keys Kentucky’s big win over Missouri

Hollywood couldn’t have written it any better.

“That’s storybook type stuff,” was all Kentucky Coach Matthew Mitchell could say of Janee Thompson’s career night at Memorial Coliseum on Thursday.

It was quite the story.

Hobbled by a sprained ankle, the Cats’ lone senior scored 12 of her career-high 24 points in the decisive fourth quarter to lift No. 15 Kentucky over No. 24 Missouri 69-59.

“That’s the veteran in her,” junior guard Makayla Epps said of Thompson. “Small, carrying a big load on her back.”

She picked Kentucky up when Kentucky was struggling.

The Cats watched all of their 13-point halftime lead evaporate in the third quarter as Missouri made seven of its 10 shots and pulled ahead by a point, 47-46, after scoring 11 unanswered.

“We let offense affect defense,” Mitchell said of UK, which shot 45 percent in the first half and then 26.7 percent in the third quarter. “Right before the fourth quarter, it was a one-point game and we couldn’t play much worse. We needed to get tough.”

Missouri’s sagging defense was packing the lane and Kentucky didn’t respond well.

“Coach Mitchell told us to stop being scared,” Thompson said after Kentucky’s fifth straight win and her 100th victory in a UK uniform.

She responded to the toughness challenge to open the fourth quarter, driving through a crease and scoring on a layup and the subsequent free throw. “We pretty much just tried to start taking it to them.”

Thompson did most of the taking, scoring 12 of Kentucky’s first 14 points of the fourth quarter and assisting on the other made basket, a baseline jumper for Evelyn Akhator, who added 15 points and nine rebounds.

“She opened up the fourth quarter with a very tough play, really, really put us on her back in the fourth quarter and earned a great victory on Senior Night,” Mitchell said. “We could talk about her all night. She was really, really tough and came up big for her team.”

It was a special night for Thompson, who had more than 30 family members in the stands, many for the first time and many coming from far away.

And even though she had been gimpy in warm-ups on the surgically repaired ankle she sprained for a second time this season last game, Thompson went at the Tigers (21-7, 8-7 Southeastern Conference).

“Your adrenaline gets to going and then you add some Senior Night adrenaline and I was fine,” Thompson said of the bum ankle. “I’m not fine right now. But I was fine during the game. I’ll be ready for the next one.”

Akhator, who scored Kentucky’s first six points of the game, said it was important to the team to win it for their senior leader.

“We really wanted to win really bad,” she said. “We got this big win for her. I tried to do my best and the team really wanted to do our best, just for her to be happy.”

Thompson was all smiles after the victory. Kentucky (20-6, 9-6) has one game remaining in the regular season, at No. 11 Texas A&M on Sunday.

“We needed every ounce of her energy and her leadership,” Mitchell said of his senior.

Epps added 14 points, three assists and two steals in the victory. Alexis Jennings pitched in nine points for Kentucky, which scored 20 points off 17 Missouri turnovers.

“Give Kentucky a lot of credit,” Coach Robin Pingeton said after Missouri was held to 21.4 percent shooting in the fourth quarter. “They really picked up their defensive intensity. … We almost looked fatigued a little bit.”

The Tigers were led by freshman sensation Sophie Cunningham, who had game highs of 29 points and 10 rebounds.

But ultimately, the night belonged to Thompson, who got a little bit shy after the game when her head coach handed her the microphone to address the 6,496 at Memorial Coliseum.

“She’s given so much to our program,” Mitchell told the crowd after the win. “I don’t know that I’ve been prouder on a Senior Day.”

In her impromptu speech after the victory, Thompson thanked Mitchell for helping her become a better player and a better woman.

The coach and his senior guard haven’t always had the easiest relationship. So hearing that made the night even sweeter for Mitchell.

“She’s really, really special to me,” Mitchell said of Thompson. “It was not always sunshine and rainbows with us. We’ve had some tough days. But this season she’s really come into her own.”

This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Janee Thompson’s career night keys Kentucky’s big win over Missouri."