Balanced Attack Leads Kentucky Past Idaho State in First Round
Kentucky and fifth-seeded Iowa will square off for a spot in the Sweet 16 on Tuesday
SAN ANTONIO – SEC Player of the Year Rhyne Howard had 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals as the fourth-seeded Kentucky women’s basketball team beat 13th-seeded Idaho State 71-63 on Sunday in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Senior guard Chasity Patterson added 14 points and three rebounds for the Cats, while junior Blair Green came off the bench to score 10 points. Dre’una Edwards had nine points and seven rebounds UK.
Kentucky (18-8) advances to the second round and will face Iowa on Tuesday.
The Cats got a huge effort from its reserves in Sunday’s win. The UK bench accounted for 29 points compared to just eight for Idaho State. Kentucky won the battle of the boards 45-33, helping to overcome a subpar shooting day (38.1 percent).
Kentucky got on the board first when Chasity Patterson hit a jumper. Idaho State answered with a Diona Konate basket to tie the game at two. KeKe McKinney then hit a three to give UK a 5-2 lead but Idaho State scored the next nine points, six by Konate, to lead 11-5 with 6:10 left in the first.
After an Edwards three got the Cats within 11-8, Idaho State scored the next seven to lead 18-8. Kentucky would get a pair of free throws from Edwards and a Howard layup to cut the lead to 18-12, which would be the score after one period.
Patterson started the second-quarter scoring with another mid-range jumper, cutting the deficit to four. After Idaho State got a pair of free throws from Ellie Smith, the Cats got a basket from Jazmine Massengill and a three from Tatyana Wyatt and another Massengill basket to lead 21-20.
Idaho State would take the lead back on an Estefania Ors basket but Kentucky answered on a Blair Green layup to lead 23-22. After the Bengals took a 24-23 lead, Kentucky got a three from Green and four straight from Howard to lead 30-24. That would be the halftime score after Kentucky outscored Idaho State 18-6 in the second quarter. Konate led all scorers with 10 in the first half. Howard had six to lead Kentucky.
In the third quarter, Kentucky scored the first four points, on a Patterson jumper and a Howard layup, to lead by double digits for the first time, 34-24 and to force an Idaho State timeout. After the break, Kentucky continued the streak on a Green layup before Ors scored inside for Idaho State to snap a 13-0 UK run.
Howard would nail a right-wing three to give the Cats a 39-26 lead with 4:45 left in the period. After Idaho State got a Tomekia Whitman layup, Kentucky got layups from Edwards and Wyatt to lead 43-28. UK would hold a 47-31 lead after three periods.
Kentucky stretched the lead to 20, 51-31, early in the fourth quarter after Patterson hit a three, then made one of two at the line on UK’s next possession. However, Idaho State would not go away quietly. The Bengals scored the next 10 points to cut UK’s lead to 51-41 with 6:21 to play. Kentucky stopped the run on an Edwards layup with 5:57 to go, part of an 8-1 run the extended the lead back to 59-42 with 4:57 to play.
No. 18 Kentucky 71, Idaho State 63 – FINAL
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky moves up to 18-8, while Idaho State falls to 22-4.
- The Wildcats are the No. 4 seed in the River Walk Region.
- UK is 22-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- UK is 6-3 as a four seed in the event with this being its 11th time UK has earned a top-four seed.
- This is the 12th consecutive first-round win for Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
- UK is now 13-3 all-time in the first round.
- This was the first all-time meeting between Kentucky and Idaho State in women’s basketball.
- UK is 3-0 all-time against Big Sky teams.
- Kyra Elzy is in her first season as head coach at Kentucky.
- Elzy is now 18-8 as head coach of Kentucky.
- UK is now 863-556 all-time in its 47th year of varsity women’s basketball.
- Kentucky is ranked No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 and No. 19 in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25.
- The Wildcats will return to action Tuesday against fifth-seeded Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Game time and venue are yet to be decided.
Team Notes
- Kentucky used the starting combination of senior guard Chasity Patterson, senior forwards Tatyana Wyatt and KeKe McKinney and junior guards Rhyne Howard and Jazmine Massengill.
- This was the seventh time this season that UK has used this starting combination, sitting 5-2.
- Chasity Patterson scored first for Kentucky in the game – the eighth time this season she has been the first Wildcat to score.
- Dre’una Edwards was the first sub for Kentucky.
- It was the 12th time Edwards has been the first sub for the Wildcats.
- Kentucky won the opening tip, marking the eighth time this season UK has lost the opening tip.
- Idaho State went on a 16-3 run midway through the first quarter to grab a 18-8 lead. UK answered by ending the quarter on a 4-0 run to cut it to 18-12 at the end of the first quarter.
- ISU shot 8-of-13 from the field in the first quarter while UK was 4-of-15.
- The Bengals forced seven UK turnovers in the first quarter and scored eight points off those miscues.
- Kentucky outscored Idaho State 18-6 in the second quarter to grab a 30-24 lead heading into the break at halftime.
- ISU went just 2-of-13 from the field in the second quarter, while UK went 7-of-18.
- It was a 13-2 run by UK at the end of the first quarter and start of the second quarter that gave UK a 21-20 lead.
- UK ended the second quarter on a 7-0 run.
- UK had three second-quarter turnovers and allowed two points off turnovers in the quarter, which was a stark comparison from the first quarter.
- The Wildcats continued that run into the third quarter and extended the run to 13-0. ISU then hit a jumper before a Rhyne Howard 3 gave UK a 39-26 lead midway through the third quarter.
- UK increased its lead to 16 at the end of the third quarter.
- Kentucky scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to take a 51-31 lead but ISU would follow with a 10-0 run to the lead to 51-41.
- The Wildcats put the game away 8-0 run to increase its lead back over 15 points.
- The Bengals outscored UK 32-24 in the fourth quarter.
- UK held ISU to just 13 combined points in the second and third quarters combined.
- Kentucky limited Idaho State to 39 percent shooting and are now 15-0 this season when its opponent shots worst than 42 percent.
- UK has won 33 consecutive games when its opponent shots 42 percent or less.
- Kentucky is now 13-0 all-time in the NCAA Tournament when their opponent shoots worse than 40% from the field.
- UK limited Idaho State to 63 points and are now 14-0 this season when its opponent scores less than 69 points.
- Kentucky is now 14-0 all-time in the NCAA Tournament when they allow 66 points or less.
- Kentucky had three players in double figures today and are now 15-3 this season when it has three or more players in double figures.
- Ten players scored for Kentucky, marking the most players it has had score in a game since 10 against Alabama at Rup Arena.
- UK’s 31 bench points are also the most since the Alabama game when UK had 37.
- Kentucky won the rebounding battle 45-34, including a 16-9 edge on the offensive glass.
- UK is 12-1 this season when it outrebounds its opponent.
- UK’s 45 rebounds are its most since its final non-conference game of the year vs. Wofford in late December.
- The 16 offensive rebounds were the most since UK had 16 at Ole Miss in early February.
- The Bengals shot a higher percentage from the field from UK and the Wildcats are now 6-8 this season when its opponent shoots a higher percentage.
- Kentucky is now 15-5 (.750) all-time in the NCAA Tournament when they outrebound their opponent.
- Kentucky is now 14-3 (.824) all-time in the NCAA Tournament when they have at least 10 steals.
- Kentucky is now 15-6 (.714) all-time in the NCAA Tournament when they score at least 70 points.
- Kentucky is now 8-1 (.889) all-time in the NCAA Tournament when they make at least eight three-point field goals.
- For the first time in program history, Kentucky had six different players make a three-point field goal in an NCAA Tournament game.
Player Notes
- Junior guard Rhyne Howard scored 14 points, going 5-of-12 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3 with nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block.
- Howard had the most steals by a Kentucky player in an NCAA Tournament game (four) since Jennifer O’Neill vs. Dayton on Mar. 21, 2015 (five).
- Howard led Kentucky in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks.
- Howard has 1,627 career points at Kentucky, ranking seventh most all time. She needs 65 more points to tie Maci Morris for sixth all-time.
- In 82 career games, Howard has …
- Hit at least one 3 in 72 career games, including 19 games this season.
- Made three or more 3s in 36 career games, including 10 games this season.
- Made five or more 3s in 11 career games.
- Scored 10+ points in 73 career games, including 21 games this season.
- Scored 15+ points in 58 career games, including 15 games this season.
- Scored 20+ points in 43 career games, including 12 games this season.
- Scored 25+ points in 25 career games, including seven games this season.
- Scored 30+ points in 7 career games, including four games this season.
- Led UK in scoring in 53 career games, including 15 games this season.
- Led UK in rebounding in 45 career games, including 13 games this season.
- Led UK in assists in 28 career games, including 12 games this season.
- Led UK in steals in 30 career games, including seven games this season.
- Led UK in blocks in 31 career games, including 10 games this season.
- Has 17 career double-doubles, including six this season.
- Senior guard Chasity Patterson scored 14 points, going 5-of-11 from the field, 1-of-4 from 3.
- She had two steals and now leads UK with 72 steals this season.
- She has scored 10 or more points in 19 games this season.
- Junior guard Blair Green scored 10 points, going 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3.
- This is the seventh time that she has scored 10 or more points this season.
- Kentucky is 13-1 this season when Blair Green scores four or more points.
- The Wildcats are 11-1 this season when Green hits a 3-pointer.
- Sophomore forward Dre’una Edwards scored nine points with seven rebounds.
- This is the first time Edwards has had a game with seven or more points and seven or more rebounds since Jan. 31 against Missouri.
With Kentucky leading 69-53, Idaho State went on one last run, scoring seven in a row to cut the lead to 69-60, but only 14 seconds remained in the game. Emma King would hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left before Idaho State got a three at the buzzer to provide the final margin.