Kentucky WBB: 3 Takeaways from UK’s dominant win over West Virginia
Kentucky Women’s Basketball showed promise in more ways than one on Wednesday evening.
The No. 16 ‘Cats (5-1) put the nation on notice when they dominated the West Virginia Mountaineers (4-2) 83-60. The victory marks Kentucky’s fifth win at home this season and continues their undefeated streak in Memorial Coliseum.
With Kentucky arguably playing their best game of the season, there are plenty of things to be excited about. Here are a few of our top takeaways from the event.
Kentucky’s rebounding improved
After the ‘Cats tied an inferior La Salle team in rebounds just days before their contest against West Virginia, I wasn’t expecting them to out-rebound the Mountaineers. If you had told me they would snag 15 more boards than WVU, I would have said you were down-right delusional. Nonetheless, you would’ve been right.
During Wednesday night’s game, Kentucky Women’s Basketball out-rebounded WVU 43-28. Kentucky’s big night on the boards didn’t happen by accident. After UK’s poor effort against La Salle, rebounding was a focus at practice this week. Understandably, head coach Kyra Elzy was happy with the results.
“Let’s go, 43-28! Man, I’m super proud,” Elzy said after the ‘Cats’ victory over West Virginia. “That’s one of the things that we talked about committing to.”
Kentucky’s commitment paid off. The ‘Cats scored four times more than the Mountaineers on second-chance points, largely thanks to star forward Dre’Una Edwards. The redshirt junior dropped a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Edwards believes UK’s impressive performance on the glass can become consistent.
“It’s a start. We’ve got to start somewhere,” Edwards said. “I just knew that was something I wanted to focus on personally. Regardless of if I got the rebound or not, just making sure that they didn’t get the board.”
Speeding up the enemy is key
Despite Kentucky’s seemingly dominant defensive performance, the ‘Cats actually turned the ball over more than WVU. The Mountaineers only committed 15 turnovers, compared to UK’s 19. So, why did the Wildcats’ defense feel superior?
For starters, Kentucky’s defense controlled the pace of the game. The Mountaineers played at a reckless speed; a speed the Wildcats are used to. Picking up all 94 feet, the ‘Cats forced WVU to put up fastbreak shots moving at breakneck speed. Consequently, WVU only scored six fast-break points all night.
Although UK’s full-court pressure was excellent, their half-court defense showed the most improvement. Once again, Kentucky’s success was built in the practice gym.
“We really focused this week on our half-court defensive execution, helping outside the paint, getting the rotation, finishing our defense with a box out,” Elzy said. “I am proud of our progress.”
The ‘Cats capitalized on WVU’s half-court errors. Constantly getting in the passing lanes, Kentucky scored 17 points off Mountaineer turnovers. Under Elzy’s leadership, the ‘Cats are now 14-0 when they hold a team to 60 points or less.
BBN makes impact on Kentucky WBB
The ‘Cats on the floor weren’t the only ones who meant business. With a season-high 3,587 fans in attendance, Kentucky had plenty of support from the sidelines.
It didn’t help the Mountaineers that this was their first true road game of the year. From a Jada Walker and-one to a deep Rhyne Howard 3-ball, Kentucky fans’ roars flooded the arena all night. After playing a season without fans, Kentucky is happy to have BBN back in the stands.
“It’s definitely fun. I love when the fans are there hyping us up,” Edwards said. “It’s always fun to play a Power-5 school, get the audience involved.”
BBN undoubtedly left its mark on Wednesday evening. The fans helped UK go on several scoring streaks, including two 9-0 runs. Wildcat fanatics won’t have to wait long to support their team again, either.
Kentucky will face Merrimack (2-4) this upcoming Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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