The four minutes that will haunt Kentucky WBB this offseason

Kentucky Women’s Basketball didn’t have to go out the way they did. Then again, wrecks are more apparent in the rearview mirror.

On Saturday, the No. 6 seed ‘Cats fell to the No. 11 seed Princeton Tigers 69-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Although Kentucky only possessed the lead for two and a half minutes of the game, they were always on the verge of victory. Perhaps that’s why looking back on the final four minutes of the contest hurts so much.

The Cats conclude their season. pic.twitter.com/yppko3nEXB

— Kentucky WBB (@KentuckyWBB) March 19, 2022

With 4:04 left in the game, Robyn Benton nailed a corner 3-pointer for the Wildcats. Kentucky wouldn’t score another field goal the rest of the game. In the make-or-break stretch, the ‘Cats missed six shots, two free throws and committed two turnovers.

Despite Kentucky’s offensive struggles, All-American Rhyne Howard blamed the team’s defense for the failed comeback.

“We were just playing aggressive defense and, at times, got a bit too aggressive,” Howard said during the press conference.

The ‘Cats didn’t do themselves any favors on the defensive end. Ivy League Player of the Year Abby Meyers dropped 13 points in the fourth quarter alone. Meyers’ explosion in the final frame contributed to a career-high 29 points on the night.

Following the loss, head coach Kyra Elzy discussed the difficulty of defending Princeton’s star player.

“Abby had a great game. She’s a phenomenal guard. I thought she made some big plays. Her ability to score on all three levels, and if you give her any space, it’s going up, and she’s very efficient offensively,” Elzy said.

Kentucky should have followed Princeton’s lead as the ‘Cats failed to involve Howard in the closing moments of the game. In the last four minutes of the contest, Howard only shot three times. The first of these shots was a missed contested layup, the second was a hopeless 3-point attempt and the third came after Kentucky’s fate was sealed.

When it was “Rhyne Time,” Kentucky didn’t go to Howard. The shocking reality stung Elzy, who spoke on the team’s subpar finish to the game.

“I felt like we were in the game when we cut it to four, I was like, if we can just get over the hump, we kept talking about being able to get a defensive stop, a stop, a score, but today that didn’t happen for us,” Elzy said. “We were in the game with a chance to win.“

The only issue with this assessment of the team’s defense is it simply isn’t true. In reality, Kentucky did make a defensive stand, a big one. The Tigers missed their final six field-goal attempts, leaving the door open for Kentucky. Nonetheless, the ‘Cats also missed their last six-field goal attempts.

Simply put, Kentucky lost control when it mattered most. Now, all BBN is left with is an echo of what could have been.