Kentucky Women’s Basketball Postgame Notes
FINAL: #12 Kentucky 64, #19 Tennessee 63
Memorial Coliseum – Lexington, Ky.
Jan. 25, 2016
Team Records and Series Notes
– UK came back from a 10-point deficit to take down No. 19 Tennessee, 64-63 in Memorial Coliseum.
– With the victory, UK moves to 15-3 on the season, and 4-3 in Southeastern Conference play while Tennessee falls to 12-7 (3-3 SEC).
– The meeting was the 64th between the two programs, with UK advancing to 11-53 in the all-time series.
– The victory snaps a four-game losing skid against the Lady Vols.
– Matthew Mitchell is in his ninth season with Kentucky and the win moves him to 239-113 overall, including a 209-84 record while at Kentucky.
– Attendance at Memorial was 6,188, the highest in Memorial this year.
Team Notes
– UK started the lineup of Evelyn Akhator, Batouly Camara, Makayla Epps, Alyssa Rice and Maci Morris for the first time this season.
– The Wildcats were outrebounded, 41-38, but outscored the Lady Vols in the paint, 34-16, and in points off turnovers, 18-10.
– UK committed just 10 turnovers, a season low for the 2015-16 season and the fewest in an SEC game since UK gave up just nine turnovers against South Carolina on Feb. 20, 2014, while forcing 21 Tennessee miscues.
– The Wildcats went 25-of-69 from the field for a .362 clip, including a .448 clip in the second half. The Lady Vols shot 41.8% of the field, but were held to 32.3% in the second half.
– In two consecutive home games (last vs. Auburn on Jan. 17), UK has won a game after trailing at the half at home.
– The last time that a game was decided by one point was also against Tennessee on Jan. 29, 2015, which resulted in a 73-72 setback to the Lady Vols.
– The victory marked the first time since March 1, 2015 against No. 2/2South Carolina, that UK has defeated a top-25 SEC opponent at home.
– Kentucky and Tennessee exchanged points for the first period, with UT holding the 19-18 advantage going into the second period.
– Tennessee went on a 13-5 run to start the second period, extending the lead to 35-28 by the end of the half.
– UK shot 30.0% from the field in the first half on 12-of-40 shooting, while UT had success on 54.2% of its shots, including a 5-of-7 performance from the 3-point line (71.4%).
– UK held the edge in the paint at the half, 16-4, and in points off turnovers, 10-2, but was outrebounded 19-17, with 15 of Tennessee’s boards coming from defensive rebounds.
– UK started on a 7-2 run in the first 1:48 of the third period, with all seven points coming from Epps.
– The Wildcats were able to take the lead, 43-42, thanks to a 3-pointer from Taylor Murray.
– UK was perfect on its first six shots in the third period.
– Tennessee was held to three field goals in the third period, while UK went on a 12-0 run from 6:39 to :59, the 18th run of 10-or-more points of the season.
– UK led at the end of the third period, 49-44, with Epps scoring 14 of Kentucky’s 21 points.
– UK never rescinded the lead for the rest of the contest, but Tennessee came within one point in the final seconds of the game.
Individual Notes
– Makayla Epps led the team with 23 points, 14 of which came in the third period alone. Epps also notched two rebounds, an assist and a block.
o Her 17 points in the second half mark the first time that a UK player has scored 15 or more points in the second half since she accomplished the feat vs. Morehead State on Nov. 18, 2015.
– Janee Thompson added 15 points to go with six assists and three steals.
– Batouly Camara, in her first career start, was just shy of a double-double with eight points and a team-best nine rebounds to go with two blocks.
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