(2) UK Hoops vs. (15) Tennessee State NCAA Opening Round Running Diary
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UK Athletics[/caption]
Good afternoon, it’s Austin here in Memorial Coliseum for the UK Hoops' opening round match-up against the 15-seed Tennessee State. This is the sixth-straight time that the Kentucky women’s basketball team has reached the NCAA tournament, and the second-straight time that they have been selected to host. The Wildcats have earned the two-seed four times in the school history, and three times just in the last four seasons.
Just earlier here, the 7-seed Dayton eliminated the 10-seed Iowa State Cyclones (what a disappointing couple of days for ISU basketball fans). Assuming Kentucky wins today, something every two seed ever has been able to do against 15 seeds, the Flyers will not be an easy out.
You may recognize the name Tennessee State, and if you do it’s likely because UK has already faced the Tigers once this year. On December 28, in Lexington, the Wildcats struggled the separate themselves until late against the scrappy TSU team, but pulled out an ugly 87-75 victory. Alexis Jennings had a career day with 27 points and 8 rebounds the last time these two teams met.
The Cats haven't played in 13-days, and the Ohio Valley Conference champions will be a tough opening-round test for Matthew Mitchell's team. It was announced earlier that Jennifer O'Neill would be a game-time decision, but it looks like she'll attempt to go on an injured ankle. The game can only be found on ESPN3, so stick around for the running diary, or head on down to a half-full Memorial, if you're unable to watch!
Final: After the 40-point victory, it’s hard to imagine how the game was ever close when these two squads played just after Christmas. I do have to admit one thing though, the small section of fans that made the trip up from Nashville have a lot of pride and have remained extremely enthusiastic despite the score. Jaycee Coe hits another three-pointer with just over a minute to play, making her the sixth UK player to score 10 points or more today. Tennessee State finishes the game making just one of their last thirteen shot attempts, the proper ending to a great defensive game by the host team. Linnae Harper ended up having one of the best games of her career, with 16 points (2-2 3FG), 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Kentucky moves on to the round of 32 with a 97-52 win. J.C. was not able to make it to the game today, as she is still spring-breaking in North Carolina, but she’ll be here with the recap shortly.
Second Half: 3:24: Kentucky’s bench has nearly outscored Tennessee State’s entire roster, and UK is dominating in nearly every statistical category. Azia Bishop picked up a technical foul after some post-dead-ball shoving down low, and headed to the bench with around seven minutes remaining, but came back in just minutes later. A more surprising stat, to me, at least, is that even with the lead, Makayla Epps has played over 30 minutes today, and one has to assume that this is Matthew Mitchell’s plan to get her back to her mid-season rhythm. Jaycee Coe is getting extra playing time due to the cushion, and knocks down a three-pointer (her third of the season) right before the final media timeout of the game. Cats by 40, 89-49.
Second Half: 11:18: Tennessee State has gotten into some foul trouble, with three players picking up their third foul here with plenty of time left in the half. Linnae Harper is quietly having a nice game with 13 points on 4-7 shooting, also with 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 rebounds to stuff the stat-sheet. Makayla Epps became the fourth Wildcat to reach double-digit scoring today, with 11 points and 3 assists so far. And just a minute ago, Bria Goss scores on a wide-open layup after a steal, giving her 11 points on the afternoon to make her the fifth Kentucky player to reach double figures. UK is outscoring TSU 26-15 so far in this half, stretching their lead to 36 points, 76-40.
Second Half: 15:36: To open up the second half of action, Tennessee State definitely controlled the energy level, and UK looked content on just trading baskets until the final horn went off, with their eyes already set on Sunday afternoon to face Dayton. Coach Mitchell is coaching to keep his team focused with such a large lead, preaching in the huddle like it’s much closer. A Jelleah Sidney steal, coast-to-coast dribble, and then assist to Jennifer O’Neill was able to swing momentum back in favor of the Wildcats going into the first media timeout with a 60-36 lead.
Half Time: The first half ended sluggish, likely due to Kentucky letting off the gas on defense. Tennessee State hit a pair of threes to cut the lead to twenty, but Jennifer O’Neill was able to knock down her fourth shot of the game to end the run. The UK defense in general has been the main story of the first half, forcing 17 turnovers, scoring 23 points off of them. Alexis Jennings and Jennifer O’Neill have scored nearly as many points (23) as TSU, on a combined 7-9 shooting. Jennings also has four rebounds to add to her stat-line. Kentucky has doubled the Tigers scoring output going into the locker rooms, 50-25.
First Half: 3:24: Kentucky is shooting the ball great this afternoon, hitting four of their five attempted three-pointers, also shooting over 50 percent overall from the field. Despite being a little banged up, Jennifer O’Neill has eight points so far on 3/3 shooting, with two of those shots coming from deep. The two weeks of rest seemed to have really helped Makayla Epps' recovery , as she looks much stronger with 5 points, 2 steals, and 2 assists. UK’s defense is holding the Tennessee State Tigers to under twenty percent shooting, a huge reason for the large lead. Wildcats are up in a blow out, 40-14.
First Half 8:45: In just the first few minutes of the game, Kentucky shot eight free throws, making seven of them. The Wildcats went back to a more traditional lineup shortly after the timeout, but the defensive pressure was extended all 90 feet of the floor, leading to the Tigers missing their last thirteen shots at one time. An unlikely three pointer from Alexis Jennings from the right wing (just her twelfth of the season) gave UK a double-digit lead, and then a Jennifer O’Neill pull-up three-pointer on a fastbreak forced TSU to call the timeout to regroup right under twelve minutes remaining in the half. Right now, the Tigers have only hit one of their last sixteen field goals, throwing the ball away nine times in less than nine minutes, and everything is going Kentucky’s way. Alexis Jennings is picking up where she left off in December the last time they played, scoring 7 points so far without missing a shot. Kentucky leads, 23-6.
First Half 15:46: Tennessee State got on the board first to open up the game. Down 4-2 just three minutes into the game, an unhappy coach Mitchell goes with a four guard lineup of Epps, Goss, O’Neill, and Harper, alongside forward Alyssa Rice. The defensive pressure was immediately turned up following the substitution and UK went on a quick four-point run to extend their run to just as many. Alexis Jennings was subbed in for Rice, but Mitchell chooses to keep the small lineup out on the floor. Kentucky has already forced 4 turnovers and 1-5 shooting going into the first media timeout.
UK Athletics[/caption]
Good afternoon, it’s Austin here in Memorial Coliseum for the UK Hoops' opening round match-up against the 15-seed Tennessee State. This is the sixth-straight time that the Kentucky women’s basketball team has reached the NCAA tournament, and the second-straight time that they have been selected to host. The Wildcats have earned the two-seed four times in the school history, and three times just in the last four seasons.
Just earlier here, the 7-seed Dayton eliminated the 10-seed Iowa State Cyclones (what a disappointing couple of days for ISU basketball fans). Assuming Kentucky wins today, something every two seed ever has been able to do against 15 seeds, the Flyers will not be an easy out.
You may recognize the name Tennessee State, and if you do it’s likely because UK has already faced the Tigers once this year. On December 28, in Lexington, the Wildcats struggled the separate themselves until late against the scrappy TSU team, but pulled out an ugly 87-75 victory. Alexis Jennings had a career day with 27 points and 8 rebounds the last time these two teams met.
The Cats haven't played in 13-days, and the Ohio Valley Conference champions will be a tough opening-round test for Matthew Mitchell's team. It was announced earlier that Jennifer O'Neill would be a game-time decision, but it looks like she'll attempt to go on an injured ankle. The game can only be found on ESPN3, so stick around for the running diary, or head on down to a half-full Memorial, if you're unable to watch!
Final: After the 40-point victory, it’s hard to imagine how the game was ever close when these two squads played just after Christmas. I do have to admit one thing though, the small section of fans that made the trip up from Nashville have a lot of pride and have remained extremely enthusiastic despite the score. Jaycee Coe hits another three-pointer with just over a minute to play, making her the sixth UK player to score 10 points or more today. Tennessee State finishes the game making just one of their last thirteen shot attempts, the proper ending to a great defensive game by the host team. Linnae Harper ended up having one of the best games of her career, with 16 points (2-2 3FG), 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Kentucky moves on to the round of 32 with a 97-52 win. J.C. was not able to make it to the game today, as she is still spring-breaking in North Carolina, but she’ll be here with the recap shortly.
Second Half: 3:24: Kentucky’s bench has nearly outscored Tennessee State’s entire roster, and UK is dominating in nearly every statistical category. Azia Bishop picked up a technical foul after some post-dead-ball shoving down low, and headed to the bench with around seven minutes remaining, but came back in just minutes later. A more surprising stat, to me, at least, is that even with the lead, Makayla Epps has played over 30 minutes today, and one has to assume that this is Matthew Mitchell’s plan to get her back to her mid-season rhythm. Jaycee Coe is getting extra playing time due to the cushion, and knocks down a three-pointer (her third of the season) right before the final media timeout of the game. Cats by 40, 89-49.
Second Half: 11:18: Tennessee State has gotten into some foul trouble, with three players picking up their third foul here with plenty of time left in the half. Linnae Harper is quietly having a nice game with 13 points on 4-7 shooting, also with 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 rebounds to stuff the stat-sheet. Makayla Epps became the fourth Wildcat to reach double-digit scoring today, with 11 points and 3 assists so far. And just a minute ago, Bria Goss scores on a wide-open layup after a steal, giving her 11 points on the afternoon to make her the fifth Kentucky player to reach double figures. UK is outscoring TSU 26-15 so far in this half, stretching their lead to 36 points, 76-40.
Second Half: 15:36: To open up the second half of action, Tennessee State definitely controlled the energy level, and UK looked content on just trading baskets until the final horn went off, with their eyes already set on Sunday afternoon to face Dayton. Coach Mitchell is coaching to keep his team focused with such a large lead, preaching in the huddle like it’s much closer. A Jelleah Sidney steal, coast-to-coast dribble, and then assist to Jennifer O’Neill was able to swing momentum back in favor of the Wildcats going into the first media timeout with a 60-36 lead.
Half Time: The first half ended sluggish, likely due to Kentucky letting off the gas on defense. Tennessee State hit a pair of threes to cut the lead to twenty, but Jennifer O’Neill was able to knock down her fourth shot of the game to end the run. The UK defense in general has been the main story of the first half, forcing 17 turnovers, scoring 23 points off of them. Alexis Jennings and Jennifer O’Neill have scored nearly as many points (23) as TSU, on a combined 7-9 shooting. Jennings also has four rebounds to add to her stat-line. Kentucky has doubled the Tigers scoring output going into the locker rooms, 50-25.
First Half: 3:24: Kentucky is shooting the ball great this afternoon, hitting four of their five attempted three-pointers, also shooting over 50 percent overall from the field. Despite being a little banged up, Jennifer O’Neill has eight points so far on 3/3 shooting, with two of those shots coming from deep. The two weeks of rest seemed to have really helped Makayla Epps' recovery , as she looks much stronger with 5 points, 2 steals, and 2 assists. UK’s defense is holding the Tennessee State Tigers to under twenty percent shooting, a huge reason for the large lead. Wildcats are up in a blow out, 40-14.
First Half 8:45: In just the first few minutes of the game, Kentucky shot eight free throws, making seven of them. The Wildcats went back to a more traditional lineup shortly after the timeout, but the defensive pressure was extended all 90 feet of the floor, leading to the Tigers missing their last thirteen shots at one time. An unlikely three pointer from Alexis Jennings from the right wing (just her twelfth of the season) gave UK a double-digit lead, and then a Jennifer O’Neill pull-up three-pointer on a fastbreak forced TSU to call the timeout to regroup right under twelve minutes remaining in the half. Right now, the Tigers have only hit one of their last sixteen field goals, throwing the ball away nine times in less than nine minutes, and everything is going Kentucky’s way. Alexis Jennings is picking up where she left off in December the last time they played, scoring 7 points so far without missing a shot. Kentucky leads, 23-6.
First Half 15:46: Tennessee State got on the board first to open up the game. Down 4-2 just three minutes into the game, an unhappy coach Mitchell goes with a four guard lineup of Epps, Goss, O’Neill, and Harper, alongside forward Alyssa Rice. The defensive pressure was immediately turned up following the substitution and UK went on a quick four-point run to extend their run to just as many. Alexis Jennings was subbed in for Rice, but Mitchell chooses to keep the small lineup out on the floor. Kentucky has already forced 4 turnovers and 1-5 shooting going into the first media timeout.
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