Kentucky WBB '23-24 Season Recap, Pt. 2: Getting some much-needed wins

Here’s part two of our season recap for the Kentucky women’s basketball team, which will focus on the back half of the Wildcats’ non-conference slate. The Wildcats went 7-7 to begin the season before jumping into SEC action.

In part one, we talked about how Kentucky just couldn’t keep up with the top teams in the country down in the Paradise Jam. And that was after a horrible loss to Austin Peay at Georgetown College. Kentucky started the season just 2-5. Well, it is slightly refreshing to say that the second half of the non-conference schedule consists of more wins than losses.

Let’s dive in.

(H) Boston College: W, 83-81

We start this recap with what was probably Kentucky’s most exhilarating win of the season. Right as we prepared for the tip, sophomore Zennia Thomas was suspended indefinitely from the team due to a “disciplinary matter”. Of course, the more fun part to remember about this game was Eniya Russell‘s game-winning layup. She had 21 points on 7-13 shooting in the win.

The Eagles saw their season come to an end against No. 24 Louisville 58-55 in the ACC Tournament on Thursday. Boston College finished the 2023-24 season with a 14-19 (5-13 ACC) record.

(H) Tennessee Tech: W, 73-67

This was dubbed “The Ajae Petty Game” as she dominated Tennessee Tech in the post in every way possible. With multiple injuries on the team, it was up to Petty to carry the load, and that she did. Against the Golden Eagles, the senior forward would score a career-high 33 points (the most any ‘Cat would score this season). In fact, the last player to score 33+ points in a game for Kentucky was Rhyne Howard back on March 5, 2021, against Georgia.

Tennessee Tech finished the regular season fifth in the OVC with a 16-15 (10-8 OVC) record. Their season ended after losing to UT Martin 79-71 in the OVC Tournament.

(H) Minnesota: L, 76-57

At this point, we were learning that Ajae Petty and Eniya Russell were going to be two of Kentucky’s biggest contributors. The two Baltimore natives combined for 35 points in this loss, but they were active all over the floor. Petty recorded 12 rebounds and two steals, and Russell had seven rebounds and five assists to add to the box score. As a whole, Kentucky just fell apart after leading 38-36 at the half.

Minnesota finished 11th in the Big Ten after going just 16-15 overall and 5-13 in conference play. The Michigan Wolverines handed the Golden Gophers a 76-57 loss (same as the UK score, funny how that works) to end their season.

(A) No. 18 Louisville: L, 73-61

The ‘Cats went up to the KFC Yum! Center to try to take down the then No. 18 Louisville Cardinals in a rowdy environment. For much of the contest, Kentucky was right in the mix, similar to the Minnesota game. Maddie Scherr made her return to the hardwood, and she did so in style. Scherr would post 22 points on 8-15 (4-7 3PT) shooting, but Jeff Walz’s crew would pull away and get a double-digit win over the ‘Cats.

Louisville is currently 24-9 and ranked 24th in the nation. The Cardinals finished fifth in the ACC, and after losing to Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament, they now turn their focus to Selection Sunday and the NCAA Tournament.

(H) Furman: W, 75-45

After what was a demoralizing and frustrating loss to Louisville, Kentucky desperately needed to rebound and get a win against the Furman Paladins. Thanks in part to a red-hot Saniah Tyler, that was able to happen. Tyler scored 17 points while shooting 6-8 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc. Additionally, Maddie Scherr stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and five steals to cap off the win.

Furman finished seventh in the SoCon, which would seem like a decent, middle-of-the-road season, but that’s out of just eight teams. The Paladins went just 15-16 (5-9 SoCon), so it’s no surprise that Kentucky ran away with the game.

(H) Lipscomb: W, 87-80

This was win number 900 for the Kentucky women’s basketball program. After dealing with a shoulder injury, Amiya Jenkins bounced back with a 20-point effort to help Kentucky dig out of a 41-28 hole in the third quarter. It seemed like Maddie Scherr was Superwoman as she put up 25 points of her own along with seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Scherr, as you can see, had an incredible stretch to end nonconference play.

Lipscomb is actually one of the better teams from Kentucky’s nonconference slate as they stand at 17-12 after finishing 4th in the ASUN. They take on EKU in the ASUN Tournament on Saturday.

(H) Samford: W, 72-59

When the ‘Cats took on Samford, it marked the last game that they’d play in Transy’s Clive M. Beck Center. Ajae Petty did Ajae Petty things, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, but it was Brooklynn Miles whose performance stood out the most. The junior guard recorded 13 points, six assists, and three steals, playing her role to perfection. It was a very refreshing victory heading into SEC play.

The Bulldogs finished just ahead of Furman in the SoCon standings in sixth place. They went 14-16 (6-8 SoCon) and ate a 66-45 loss to Wofford to end their season.