No. 14 Kentucky 81, Grambling State 35 – FINAL
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky is 6-0, while Grambling State is 1-5.
- The Wildcats are now 4-0 at home this season.
- UK is 173-40 at home under Matthew Mitchell, including 165-31 in Memorial Coliseum.
- Kentucky is 829-540 all-time, including 479-173 all-time at home.
- The Wildcats have had great success in Memorial Coliseum, sitting 452-157 all-time in the historic building.
- This was the second all-time meeting between Kentucky and Grambling State in women’s basketball.
- UK now leads the all-time series 2-0.
- Matthew Mitchell is in his 13th season as the head coach of the Wildcats.
- Mitchell is 317-154 overall in his career and 287-125 during his tenure at Kentucky.
- UK is 74-9 all-time in the month of November under Mitchell.
- Kentucky is ranked 14th in the latest Associated Press Top 25.
Team Notes
- Kentucky used the starting combination of sophomore guard Rhyne Howard, senior guards Sabrina Haines and Amanda Paschal, and junior forwards KeKe McKinney and Tatyana Wyatt.
- UK is 6-0 this season when it uses that starting combination.
- UK won the tip for the fifth time this season.
- Rhyne Howard scored first for UK, marking the second time she has been the first Wildcat to score.
- Kentucky’s offense has played much better the last two games as UK has scored 20 or more points in six of its last eight quarter.
- After a slow start in first halves in the first four games of the year, UK has scored over 40 points in each of the last two first halves for 50 percent from the field.
- The Wildcats’ 42-17 (+25) lead at halftime was its largest halftime lead of the season.
- UK went 14-of-26 from the field in the first half for 53.8 percent, which is its best first-half field-goal percentage this season.
- UK was 6-of-14 from long range in the first half.
- The Wildcats are 5-0 this season when they are leading at halftime.
- UK is 232-28 all-time under Matthew Mitchell when it is leading at halftime.
- Kentucky took control of the game by outscoring the Tigers 22-5 in the second quarter.
- Overall, UK ended the first half on a 21-2 run which was part of a 13-0 run.
- The run continued to the first made basket of the second half with UK making it a season-long 15-0 run.
- The UK defense held Grambling State to a season-low 35 points in the game.
- The Tigers scored five points in the second quarter and six points in the third quarter, which was their second and third fewest points scoring in a quarter this season.
- The 35 points allowed was the fewest UK has allowed in a game this season.
- UK shot a season-best 49.1 percent from the field.
- The Wildcats hit 10 3-pointers and have hit 10 or more 3s in back-to-back games.
- UK tied a season high with 18 assists and has 18 or more assists in three of its last four games.
- The Wildcats earned their biggest lead of the year during the game when they led the Tigers 81-33 with :46 left in the game.
- Kentucky forced GSU into 25 turnovers and scored 20 points off those miscues. The Wildcats have forced every team this season into 20 or more turnovers and scored 20 or more points off turnovers in five of the six games.
Player Notes
- Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard again led Kentucky in scoring, posting a season-high 27 points with five rebounds.
- Howard has hit at least one 3-pointer in 33 of her 38 career games.
- Howard has scored 10 or more points in 31 of her 38 career games.
- Howard has scored 20 or more points in 13 of her 38 career games.
- Howard has led UK in scoring in 20 of her 38 career games.
- Howard has made three or more 3s in 14 of her 38 career games.
- Howard has led UK in scoring four times this season.
- Howard has scored 20 or more points in three of her last four games, including two straight games. She is the first UK player to score 20+ in back-to-back games since Maci Morris accomplished the feat last season.
- Howard scored 16 first-half points and has scored 15 points or more in the first half of two games this season.
- Senior guard Sabrina Haines scored nine points and hit two 3s in the game.
- Haines has hit a 3-pointer in every game this season, including two or more 3s in four games.
- Senior guard Jaida Roper scored 10 points in the game with seven assists and three steals.
- Roper has scored 10 or more points twice this season and 16 times in her career.
- Roper has led Kentucky in assists twice this season and 21 times in her career.
- Sophomore guard Blair Green has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.
- Green went 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3 with three rebounds and three assists.
- Junior forward KeKe McKinney scored nine points with six rebounds, three steals and four blocks.
- McKinney has led UK in blocks five times this season and 24 times in her career.
- McKinney entered the game ranking top-20 in blocks nationally.
- McKinney has four or more blocks in three games this season.