Kentucky WBB takes down Minnesota 80-74 in first true road game
The Wildcats came out ready to bring the heat on a cold night in Minnesota.
On Wednesday night, the Kentucky women’s basketball team (7-1) defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-4) 80-74 in Williams Arena. The contest was Kentucky’s first true road game of the season and the team’s most significant win yet.
Sophomore Jada Walker led the charge for the ‘Cats, dropping 19 points on 7-8 shooting from the charity stripe. The 5-foot-7 guard did more than score. She recorded five points and three assists on the night, as well. Wednesday night’s victory was Walker’s second-straight game leading the ‘Cats in scoring.
As a team, Kentucky shot the ball well. UK went 31-68 (46%) from the field and 4-11 (36%) from beyond the arc. Everyone was involved. Kentucky’s bench outscored Minnesota’s backups by 24 points. Simply put, the night was a success.
A Kentucky trifecta
The Minnesota snow couldn’t cool down the ‘Cats, or at least a few of them. Kentucky was a three-headed monster in the first quarter with Blair Green, Ajae Petty and Walker scoring all but three of the team’s points.
Nevertheless, the Gophers weren’t deterred. Minnesota returned every UK basket with a highlight of their own, shooting 66% from the field in the frame. However, the Gophers’ ball control was not quite as impressive as their shooting.
Like most Kentucky opponents, Minnesota struggled to limit mistakes in the first 10 minutes of the contest. UK forced nine Minnesota turnovers in the first quarter, resulting in a narrow 23-21 lead heading into the second period.
Kentucky wins a game of runs
The second quarter was a basketball teeter-totter. Every time one team began to separate themselves, the other squad would slap back with an astounding sequence of their own. Kentucky began this back-and-forth game with a 6-0 run to start the quarter.
Of course, Minnesota couldn’t allow the ‘Cats to have all the fun and responded with six unanswered points. The two teams went back and forth like some sort of sick dance until the end of the half, both ultimately scoring 18 points in the quarter.
One of the few things that separated the ‘Cats from the Gophers was the charity stripe. In the first half, UK shot 7-8 (88%) from the free-throw line compared to Minnesota’s mere 1-2 (50%). Fueled by their easy points, Kentucky took a 41-39 lead into halftime.
This girl is on fire
Whatever Robyn Benton did at halftime, she needs to keep doing it. The UK graduate student dropped Kentucky’s first 10 points in the second half, including two buckets from deep. Head coach Kyra Elzy discussed her mindset during Benton’s offensive explosion.
“We talked about it as a staff. She had two shots in the first half. She’s one of our go-to scorers. We thought we needed to get her involved,” Elzy said after the win. “Ran a couple of actions to her, she stepped up to the challenge, hit some big shots.”
Unfortunately for the Big Blue Nation, the rest of the Wildcats’ third quarter wasn’t as spectacular as Benton’s. The team committed seven turnovers in the frame, including a combined four from Maddie Scherr and Walker. Nonetheless, Kentucky survived the rough sledding, going into the final 10 minutes of the outing ahead 64-59.
Down to the wire
In the final frame, the two teams exchanged blows like heavyweight champions; absorbing the shock and firing back in the blink of an eye. For every pull-up jumper from Benton, Minnesota drained a basket from downtown. Nonetheless, Elzy’s squad never lost composure and that told her a lot about this team.
“This was a gutsy road win against a tough Minnesota team,” Elzy said. “Proud of our team; I thought we grew up today.”
Like countless games before, Wednesday night’s contest came down to free throws. Fortunately for the ‘Cats, their veteran experience shined through. Kentucky went 6-9 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter compared to Minnesota’s poor 0-3. Those six points proved valuable as the ‘Cats pulled out an 80-74 win.
Of course, free throws weren’t the only distinguishing factor between the two teams. In rare fashion, Kentucky won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Gophers 46-33 in the contest. Consequently, the ‘Cats outscored Minnesota in second-chance points.
Kentucky’s superior skill wasn’t as clear when looking at turnovers. UK committed a whopping 22 turnovers, one more than the Gophers. Luckily for UK, they made up for their mistakes by capitalizing on Minnesota’s. Kentucky scored 26 points off Gophers’ miscues.
Those points were well-distributed. On top of Walker’s 19 points, three other ‘Cats tallied double-digit point totals. Benton scored the second-most on the team, recording all 18 of her points in the second half. Petty didn’t trail far behind as the 6-foot-3 center recorded her second double-double in a row with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Green added 11 points and seven rebounds, as well.
Kentucky’s excellent team performance and third-straight win are more than a tally in the stat book, it’s a momentum boost looking forward. Kentucky’s next opponent is the one they circle on the calendar: the Lousiville Cardinals. The ‘Cats will need all the momentum they can gather as they take on their rival at 1 p.m. on Sunday inside Rupp Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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