How each Kentucky WBB player made an impact in the exhibition

In their 88-71 exhibition victory over the Kentucky State Thorobreds on Wednesday, Kentucky women’s basketball showed plenty of positives on offense and held KSU to 43 percent shooting. Each member of the Lady Cats has something to be proud of from yesterday’s performance. Let’s break down their individual play one by one.

The Starting Five

Starting with senior Ajae Petty, the most dominant player of the game. Petty finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds, recording her first unofficial double-double of the season. The 6’3″ forward showed off her strength by driving through KSU’s defense and getting points in the paint. She had 18 points and nine rebounds at the half.

Although senior Maddie Scherr wasn’t a consistent shooter, she did show how much of a team leader she can be. Scherr took her role, found her girls, and finished with seven points, five assists, one rebound, two steals, and one block with just one turnover. Her selflessness as a teammate definitely showed in the exhibition.

As for junior Brooklynn Miles, her speed and aggressiveness showed against KSU. The 5’4″ guard might have been shorter than most of her opponents, but she didn’t let that stop her. Miles drove to the basket quickly and forcefully and made her presence known. She finished the game with nine points, five assists, three rebounds, and one steal.

For the 16 minutes that sophomore Zennia Thomas played, she truly worked her hardest. Thomas finished the game with nine points, four rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Her defense was tight — and she wasn’t afraid to get in the face of the opposing team (although she did pick up a technical). Thomas made her opponents work for their points.

Finally, sophomore Saniah Tyler, the 5’6″ guard made moves in a big way. With 12 points and two assists, Tyler was impressive on offense. Tyler picked up an offensive rebound and a defensive rebound, both of which turned into Kentucky points. Those second-chance points are crucial for a Kentucky victory. She went 2-4 from distance, too.

The Bench

First off the bench was graduate student Emma King. King has been given the green light to shoot whenever she has an open shot, but that’s not all the guard is good for. King was impressive on defense. She played aggressively and picked up two blocks and a steal. She also added 12 points (4-7 FG; 4-4 FT), three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal.

Sophomore Cassidy Rowe also came off the bench quickly — another player that Elzy has given the green light to shoot the open shot. Although Rowe doesn’t have much to show on the stat sheet, she definitely shows out on the court. Rowe is a HUSTLER. She was consistently one of the first to make it down the court on a fast break. Rowe finished with two rebounds and four assists while also taking a charge.

Sophomore Amiya Jenkins only played 12 minutes of today’s game due to a minor injury, but she still had a major contribution to the final score. In those 12 minutes, Jenkins collected seven points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Senior Eniya Russell played 13 minutes against KSU, managing to add 12 more points to the Wildcats’ cause. Russell shot 6-8 from the floor and contributed two assists, a rebound, a steal, and a block to finish her game.

Kentucky’s two freshmen, Jordy Griggs and Janae Walker, made their college basketball debuts. Kyra Elzy described the pair as “still adjusting” to college ball, but that the team will definitely need those two going forward. Walker went for one point (1-4 FT) and two rebounds in nine minutes while Griggs saw the floor for just two minutes.

As for senior Nyah Leveretter, she’s still sidelined as she recovers from a torn ACL. However, she doesn’t let that stop her from being a supportive teammate and lifting up her girls to be the best that they can be.

The first and only exhibition for Kentucky women’s basketball is officially in the books. Elzy’s squad will tip off the 2023-24 regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 7 against ETSU at Transylvania’s Clive M. Beck Center.