Kentucky WBB puts it on Coastal Carolina in 79-53 victory
Kentucky Women’s Basketball had their best performance of the young season on Sunday afternoon.
The ‘Cats destroyed the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in a 79-53 blowout inside Memorial Coliseum. The win is Kentucky’s third of the season, and biggest margin of victory yet. Kentucky never trailed the Chanticleers once during Sunday’s contest.
UK’s start-to-finish performance was highlighted by Jada Walker’s stunning performance. The 5-foot-7 point guard scored a career-high tying 21 points and career-high 10 assists. The sophomore shot 7-9 from the field and 3-3 from beyond the arc in the effort.
Rest assured, Walker wasn’t the only one with a spectacular showing. Kentucky shot 31-66 (47%) from the field and 4-20 (20%) from 3-point land. Moreover, UK went 13-16 (81%) from the free-throw line after shooting a poor 3-11 (43%) from the charity stripe in their win on Friday.
Sloppy start for both squads
The first quarter was electric. The ‘Cats began the game on a 7-0 run, jumpstarted by a smooth post fadeaway by Blair Green. Nevertheless, the Chanticleers didn’t remain idle for long. The team matched Kentucky’s patented full-court press and caused major issues.
Kentucky committed nine turnovers in the first quarter. For reference, the ‘Cats had 18 turnovers in the entire contest on Friday — not ideal. To make matters worse, Kentucky’s leading distributor Maddie Scherr picked up her second foul only halfway through the opening period, sidelining her until halftime.
Thankfully for UK, they weren’t the only ones struggling to care of the ball. Coastal Carolina choked away 11 possessions in the frame. The two team’s fast-paced sloppiness led to a 21-11 Kentucky lead at the end of the first quarter.
Kentucky WBB’s dynamic duo
It only took 17 seconds in the second quarter for Kentucky to run into more foul trouble. Green picked up her second foul and headed to the bench. Nonetheless, Kentucky wasn’t out of options. Robyn Benton and Walker took over, scoring Kentucky’s first nine points of the period.
Kentucky’s starters weren’t the only ones to shine. Amiya Jenkins had an explosive performance off the bench again. The versatile guard scored five points in five minutes, including a tough and-one finish. Spurred forward by Jenkins, the ‘Cats finished the first half on a 9-0 run to take a commanding 43-23 lead.
After the game, Elzy discussed her confidence in her bench group’s ability to step up when others get in foul trouble.
“Whether it’s Eniya Russell, she can come in. [Adebola Adeyeye], she brings the energy defensively. MiMi Jenkins can come in and score. So, we have some pieces. That’s where depth plays a big part of what we do,” Elzy said during the postgame press conference.
Kentucky thrashes Coastal Carolina in the 3rd
The halftime break didn’t cool down Kentucky. The ‘Cats rattled off seven unanswered points to kickstart the third period. Despite a couple of Coastal Carolina buckets, Kentucky carried their momentum to a 19-4 run.
The offensive barrage was a team effort. Fed by Walker’s five assists, seven UK players scored in the third period. Altogether, the ‘Cats scored 30 points in the frame, making it their highest-scoring quarter yet this season. Kentucky strolled into the final 10 minutes of the contest with a 73-39 lead.
Lacking a fantastic finish
As beautiful as the third quarter was, the fourth was equally ugly. Kentucky only scored six points in the period compared to Coastal Carolina’s 14. In fairness, UK didn’t necessarily put its best foot forward in the final frame.
The freshmen got their chance to make an impression. Instead, Elzy will be hoping to forget the 10 minutes ever happened. Kentucky was scoreless in the final five minutes of the game and gave up 10 straight points to the Chanticleers.
After the game, Elzy evaluated her young group’s performance.
“We’re a work in progress,” Elzy said. “Some of its nerves. Some of it’s lack of experience. Every day we have to use these opportunities to learn.”
Kentucky’s final figures
Despite Kentucky’s failure to close the game on a high note, their message was that they were the superior team. When the dust settled, Kentucky held an impressive 79-53 victory. In the contest, the ‘Cats forced 32 Coastal Carolina turnovers and scored 27 points off the Chanticleers’ mistakes.
Additionally, Kentucky’s fastbreak defense was impenetrable. The Chanticleers scored a measly two fastbreak points in the battle. While Kentucky’s performance was overwhelmingly good, they still had their blemishes.
The team committed an uneasy 25 turnovers, their highest of the season yet. Moreover, Coastal Carolina outscored the ‘Cats on second-chance points 14-10. Thankfully, Kentucky’s individual performances were strong enough to make up for any mistakes.
Benton recorded 19 points and five rebounds while shooting 6-10 from the field and 7-8 from the free throw line. Green added 10 points and five boards, as well. Jenkins led the freshmen with seven points on 3-6 shooting.
After a packed week, Kentucky will finally get a chance to catch their breath. The ‘Cats don’t play again until Thursday when they take on Bellarmine at 7 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
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