FINAL: Kentucky WBB falls to No. 8 Indiana in road-opener 88-67

Foul trouble and limited depth prevented Kentucky Women’s Basketball from upsetting Top-10 Indiana.

The No. 13 Wildcats (2-1) were up in Bloomington on Sunday night to take on the No. 8 Hoosiers (2-0) in a nationally televised matchup. Unfortunately for Kentucky, Indiana used an impressive second-half run to come away with a commanding 88-67 victory. IU outscored the ‘Cats by 15 in the final 20 minutes.

UK was led by SEC Preseason Player of the Year Rhyne Howard, who finished with 23 points and nine rebounds. Her co-star was a surprise performance from first-year guard Jada Walker, who looked more like a seasoned veteran than someone playing against her first ranked opponent. Walker posted 16 points on 7-13 shooting in 27 minutes.

Kentucky fouled Indiana 24 times, which led to the Hoosiers shooting 18-21 from the charity stripe on the night.

Ready to bounce back at Memorial in a week. pic.twitter.com/oQqJkR90Xm

— Kentucky WBB (@KentuckyWBB) November 14, 2021

How Indiana beat Kentucky

Kentucky got off to a solid start in the first road matchup of the year. Outside of a few-minute stretch during the middle of the first period, the ‘Cats more than held its own. With 10 minutes down, UK trailed 20-14.

Throughout the second period, Kentucky outplayed Indiana. Had a halfcourt buzzer-beater not dropped in for the Hoosiers, UK would have won the quarter with plenty of momentum. Unfortunately, that shot did fall and IU took a 38-32 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter saw foul trouble give Kentucky serious fits. Jazmine Massengill, Olivia Owens, and Dre’Una Edwards all picked up their fourth fouls in the frame and were forced to the bench. With just eight scholarship players available, Elzy was limited on options.

Entering the fourth quarter down 65-53, Kentucky didn’t have enough juice to pull off the comeback. Led by a career-high 29 points from Mackenzie Holmes and 19 more from Grace Berger, Indiana cruised to the 21-point win.