No. 15 Kentucky 64, Vanderbilt 70 – FINAL
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky is 21-7 overall and 10-6 in the SECwhile Vanderbilt is 14-15, 4-12 in the SEC
- UK is 7-4 in true road games this season.
- This was the 53rd all-time meeting between Kentucky and Vanderbilt in women’s basketball.
- Vanderbilt leads the all-time series in games played 29-24, including a 15-9 mark in games played in Nashville.
- Matthew Mitchell is in his 13th season as the head coach of the Wildcats.
- Mitchell is 332-161 overall in his career and 302-132 during his tenure at Kentucky.
- Kentucky is ranked 15th in the latest AP Top 25 and 16th in the latest USA Today/Coaches Top 25.
- The Wildcats will return to action in next week’s SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C. Tournament seeding is still being finalized.
Team Notes
- Kentucky used the starting combination of senior guards Sabrina Haines and Jaida Roper, sophomore guard Rhyne Howard, junior forward KeKe McKinney and senior forward Ogechi Anyagaligbo.
- This was the sixth time this season that UK has used this starting combination, sitting 3-3.
- Howard scored first for Kentucky in the game. This was the team-leading eighth time this season that she has been the first Wildcat to score.
- The Wildcats attempted nine 3-pointers in the first quarter, going 3-of-9, while Vanderbilt did not attempt a shot from distance in the first quarter.
- Overall, VU was 7-of-15 from the field for 47 percent in the first quarter while UK was 5-of-17 for 29 percent.
- VU had a 12-2 lead in paint points in the first quarter.
- Kentucky trailed 30-29 at halftime marking the eighth time this season that UK has trailed at the half.
- UK is 3-4 this season overall and 1-4 in the league when trailing at halftime.
- The Wildcats started the third quarter on a 14-5 run to take a 43-35 lead midway through the third quarter.
- UK won the third quarter 26-16 to take a 55-46 lead into the fourth quarter. The Wildcats were 9-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 from long range in the third quarter.
- Vanderbilt stormed back in the fourth quarter finishing the game on a 17-3 run. UK led 61-53 with 5:53 to play in the game but never could regain momentum, falling 70-64.
- VU outscored UK 24-9 overall in the fourth quarter.
Player Notes
- Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard scored a game-high 26 points in the game.
- Howard has 1,108 career points, staying 28th all-time in scoring in program history.
- Howard needs 27 more to tie for 27th.
- Howard has hit 151 career 3-pointers, which ranks eighth most in program history.
- Howard needs 9 more makes from 3 to tie Jenny Pfeffier for seventh all-time on that list at 162 makes.
- Howard has hit 77 3-pointers this season, ranking second most on the UK single-season list.
- She needs four more to tie the program record for 3s in a season.
- Howard has now scored 20 or more points in 19 games.
- Howard has scored 20 or more points in 14 of her last 15 games.
- This was the 20th time this season and 36th career time Howard has led UK in scoring.
- In 57 career games, Howard has recorded some impressive numbers:
- Hit at least one 3 in 51 career games
- Made three or more 3s in 25 games
- Made five or more 3s in 10 games
- Scored 10+ points in 50 games
- Scored 15+ points in 41 games
- Scored 20+ points in 29 games
- Scored 25+ points in 18 games
- Scored 30+ points in 3 games
- Led UK in scoring in 36 games
- Led UK in rebounding in 31 games
- Howard has 1,108 career points, staying 28th all-time in scoring in program history.
- Junior forward KeKe McKinney scored 10 points with a team-best seven rebounds.
- This was the fourth 10+ scoring game of the season for McKinney and the 10th of her career.
- This was the seventh time she has led UK in rebounding this season and 22ndin her career.
