FINAL: Kentucky WBB cruises past USC Upstate 82-54 at Rupp Arena

On Saturday night, the Kentucky Wildcats took on the USC Upstate Spartans in what was their first game at Rupp Arena of the 2023-24 season. The expectation was for the Lady ‘Cats to roll to a big win, and they did just that, winning 82-54. In addition, the game was pretty much decided at the conclusion of the first half. UK led the Spartans 45-19 after just 20 minutes of play. Kyra Elzy’s team ended the half on a 20-2 run over the final seven minutes of the second quarter.

A number of players honored the late Gianna Bryant with some custom Nike Kobe shoes. The shoes were white and black with a gold Kobe logo on the tongues of the shoes. The back read “GIGI” with the number two on there as well, which was Gianna’s jersey number.

Against USC Upstate, Kentucky had just about every single physical advantage you could possibly have over an opponent. Each player was bigger, faster, and stronger than the girl matched up against them. Sophomore Zennia Thomas had a coming-out party. She had 10 points and also recorded two rebounds and one assist, which helped UK get to their 28-point win.

Of course, Thomas wasn’t the only Lady ‘Cat that had a good night against the Spartans. If there was anyone who was going to benefit from playing against an undersized USC Upstate team, it was going to be senior forward Ajae Petty. Petty led all scorers with 19 points, snagging nine rebounds as well. All game long, she was forcing turnovers and contesting shots on the other end of the floor as well.

The leading passer on the team was fellow senior Maddie Scherr, who tallied a total of six assists on the night. Unfortunately, Scherr again struggled to put the ball in the bucket, going just 3-11 (27.3%) from the field. However, she really made an impact offensively that you just don’t get with other players. It’s clear that teams are going to focus on Scherr, which should open up her teammates to score. Later on, Scherr would end up exiting the game in the 4th quarter with an apparent lower leg injury.

In addition, Kentucky saw Brooklynn Miles prove her value as the lone new transfer on this team against the Spartans. She filled up the stat sheet with a lot of productive numbers. She scored 10 points, dished out four assists, got three rebounds, and posted a +/- of 11. While the highest +/- belonged to Saniah Tyler (35), Miles proved that her presence on the floor usually means good for Kyra Elzy and the Lady ‘Cats.

Although the Wildcats finished with an overall shooting percentage of 48 percent, they went just 2-18 on shots from beyond the arc. Kentucky will take the floor again on Tuesday, Nov. 14 against Austin Peay at Georgetown College’s Davis-Reid Alumni Gym.