How slow starts have plagued Kentucky WBB's chances
Kentucky Women’s Basketball has a problem starting off games slowly.
In UK’s 51-44 stunning loss to Murray State on Friday night, the Wildcats slept walked through the first quarter. Kentucky scored just seven points in the first 10 minutes of the contest, the second-lowest-scoring period for the ‘Cats this season. The lowest-scoring quarter this season came against Coastal Carolina in the fourth frame when UK played freshmen during a blowout; not quite the same.
Although it feels like these sluggish starts have become routine, they haven’t… In wins, at least. Kentucky is averaging 16.4 points in the first frame this season, 17 in the second, 21 in the third and 17.2 in the fourth. However, when you isolate the team’s losses, the statistics tell a different story.
The Wildcats are only averaging 9.7 first-period points in losses this year. After Louisville beat the ‘Cats on Sunday, head coach Kyra Elzy didn’t seem overly concerned about the team’s ice-cold kickoffs.
“Obviously we don’t want to start slow. That’s not what we’re trying to do, and that’s not our intentions,” Elzy said postgame. “It just took us a minute to get settled into the physical game.”
Elzy sang a different tune after Kentucky’s first loss in program history to Murray State.
“It’s something we’re going to have to fix. You can’t have a slow start every game,” Elzy said.
Elzy isn’t the only one who realizes the ‘Cats must make a change. Robyn Benton, who finished with 15 on Friday night but didn’t score a point in the first frame, emphasized her coach’s claims.
“It starts with our intensity,” Benton said. “We should see a change the next game. We’re gonna emphasize that and us, as a team, we just got to do better. This loss right here was unacceptable.”
While everyone is on the same page, nobody is reading a solution. Are the slow starts due to a poor game plan, lack of motivation, a lousy warmup routine, or simply bad luck? Sometimes, it’s difficult to have a great start when your great players aren’t on the floor.
Kentucky has thrown several starting lineups on the court this season, but none that include Ajae Petty. The 6-foot-3 forward has been UK’s obvious best option down low. Petty has more points than Nyah Leveretter and Adebola Adeyeye combined this season. Moreover, the LSU transfer leads the team in rebounds.
Nonetheless, Petty continues to come off the bench. Petty isn’t the only ‘Cat who deserves a starting spot. Players such as Amiya Jenkins, Kennedy Cambridge or Eniya Russell could easily squeeze into the lineup to provide Kentucky with some much-needed offense. Elzy isn’t oblivious to the potential change.
“Whether it’s I got to change up the lineup or what we’re doing, we have to get off to a better start offensively and defensively,” Elzy said.
Tune into Kentucky’s next contest on Sunday at 1 p.m. to see if Elzy means business. Kentucky will take on Florida Gulf Coast in a desperate attempt to avoid a three-game losing streak. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
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