Florida Gulf Coast 69, Kentucky 63 – FINAL
Team Records and Series Notes
- The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 49th season with an 889-573 (.609) all-time record.
- The Wildcats are now 7-4 on the season.
- The Eagles are now 9-2 on the season.
- Kyra Elzy is in her third season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 44-25 overall record.
- Florida Gulf Coast leads the all-time series with Kentucky, 2-0.
- Kentucky will return home to host Ohio onWednesday, Dec. 21 at 11 a.m. ET for the program’s Family Day.
Team Notes
- Kentucky used the starting combination Jada Walker, Maddie Scherr, Robyn Benton, Blair Green and Nyah Leveretter for the sixth game this season. UK is 4-2 using that starting combination.
- Kentucky won the opening tip.
- Blair Green was the first player to score for Kentucky.
- Emma King was the first substitute off the bench for Kentucky.
- Kentucky turned the ball over three times in the first minute and 10 seconds of the first quarter, with Florida Gulf Coast going 3-of-3 from the field off those miscues to start the game.
- FGCU’s quick 6-0 run to begin the first quarter prompted UK to call a timeout at 8:49.
- Kentucky had the ball out of that timeout, but couldn’t score, as Florida Gulf Coast then came down to the court and made another layup, going 4-of 4 from the field for an 8-0 start to the game.
- Blair Green got an offensive rebound and made a second-chance jumper at 7:57.
- The two teams went back-and-forth in scoring over the next few possessions, until Kentucky enjoyed a 6-0 run to close the gap on Florida Gulf Coast’s lead, 13-10, with two minutes and 33 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
- Maddie Scherr launched the scoring run with a jumper, then Jada Walker drew a foul and knocked down both of her free throws, then Kennedy Cambridge got a steal and score.
- FGCU went scoreless for almost four minutes during that stretch.
- In the final minute of the first quarter, the Eagles broke their silence with a 3-pointer, then Cambridge recorded another bucket, before the Eagles had a last second layup.
- FGCU led UK, 18-12, at the end of the first quarter.
- FGCU’s quick 6-0 run to begin the first quarter prompted UK to call a timeout at 8:49.
- Kentucky forced Florida Gulf Coast to commit a turnover on the first possession to begin the second quarter, and Robyn Benton scored on a jumper off that miscue.
- The Wildcats kept the Eagles scoreless in the second quarter until a 3-pointer at 7:50, as FGCU improved its lead over UK, 21-14.
- In fact, FGCU’s next score was a 3-pointer, too, with Walker scoring on a single free throw between those two buckets from long.
- Kentucky then went on a 7-0 run, sparked by a couple buckets from Adebola Adeyeye and Benton. During that run, Benton also drew a foul on an attempt from long and made all three of her free throws.
- Florida Gulf Coast responded with a 5-0 run on a jumper and a 3-pointer.
- The Eagles led the Wildcats, 31-22, with four minutes and one second remaining in the second quarter.
- Kentucky then outscored Florida Gulf Coast, 9-6, in the remaining four minutes and one second.
- UK held FGCU with no field goals, just three free throws, in the final three minutes and seven seconds.
- The Wildcats led the Eagles, 37-31, at halftime.
- The Eagles capitalized on the Wildcats’ early mistakes in the game, scoring 19 points off turnovers in the first half.
- The Wildcats kept the Eagles scoreless in the second quarter until a 3-pointer at 7:50, as FGCU improved its lead over UK, 21-14.
- Kentucky opened up the third quarter on a 7-2 run to get within one point of Florida Gulf Coast, 38-39, with seven minutes and 18 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
- Green and Scherr were responsible for the last five points of that run with a 3-pointer by Green, followed by a steal and an assist by Scherr, then a layup by Green.
- The run prompted FGCU to call a timeout.
- Green added two more points on a jumper out of the timeout, producing a 7-0 run for herself to help Kentucky take its first lead over Florida Gulf Coast, 40-39, at 6:39.
- FGCU responded with a 3-pointer, then Benton followed with a jumper to tie the game, 42-42, at 5:37 in the third quarter.
- Minus a couple free throws by Scherr at 4:16 and a couple more by Walker at :34, UK went scoreless from the field for more than five minutes since that jumper. Meanwhile, FGCU had just seven points during that five-minute stretch.
- Benton capped the third quarter with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
- Florida Gulf Coast led Kentucky, 51-49, at the end of the third quarter.
- Green and Scherr were responsible for the last five points of that run with a 3-pointer by Green, followed by a steal and an assist by Scherr, then a layup by Green.
- The Eagles scored on a jumper to kick start scoring at 8:49 in the fourth quarter.
- The Wildcats responded with a 4-0 run to tie the game, 53-53, with six minutes and 12 seconds remaining.
- FGCU then went on a 9-2 run over the next five minutes (5:51-1:44).
- That run helped FGCU break the tie and earn a 62-55 lead under two minutes.
- Nyah Leveretter snapped their scoring run on a layup at 1:19, then Benton added a pair of free throws to remain perfect at the line in the game at 1:08.
- FGCU would lead by just one possession after that, 62-59.
- The Eagles had a shot blocked by Scherr on the other end of the court at :51, then Walker grabbed the defensive rebound and Benton went up for a 3-pointer to tie the game, but the shot was no good.
- Kentucky began to foul with 31 seconds remaining in the game, as Florida Gulf Coast made seven of its eight attempts down the stretch.
- During that time, Kentucky scored four points on a couple made free throws by Scherr (:14) and a layup by Kennedy Cambridge (:06).
- Florida Gulf Coast defeated Kentucky, 69-63.
- Kentucky had its best free-throw percentage of the season, making 23 of its 25 attempts from the line (92.0 percent).
- Despite their success from the stripe, overall, the Wildcats had an off-shooting night, making a season-low 19 shots oftheir 58 attempts from the field.
- Kentucky outrebounded Florida Gulf Coast, 38-29, and led FGCU in second-chance points, 14-6.
- UK had 20 turnovers in the game, giving up 32 points off those miscues. Meanwhile, the Cats forced the Eagles to commit 19 turnovers and scored just 14 points from those errors.
Player Notes
- Graduate guard Robyn Benton led the team in scoring with 18 points.
- It marked the third straight game she has led the team in scoring.
- She has scored in double digits in all 11games this season.
- She made at least one 3-pointer for the sixth straight game.
- She went a career-best 9-of-9 from the line.
- She added three rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist.
- She made at least one steal for the sixth straight game.
- Sophomore guard Jada Walker had 14 points.
- She has scored in double digits in eight games this season.
- She went a career-best 8-of-10 from the line.
- She added five rebounds and two assists.
- Junior guard Maddie Scherr had six points, a career-high nine rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks.
- She has made at least five rebounds in four straight games.
- She has made at least two blocks in fourstraight games.
- She has made at least three steals in two straight games.
- Graduate guard Blair Green had nine points.
- Seven of her nine points were strung together in the third quarter to help Kentucky take a lead over Florida Gulf Coast, 40-39.
- She added four rebounds.
- Junior forward Nyah Leveretter had six points on 3-of-3 from the field and a season-high eight rebounds.
- She has made at least five rebounds in three straight games.
- She added a season-high tying two blocks.
UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
Kentucky Head Coach Kyra Elzy
On if the effort from today was better …
“I thought we had better effort and energy. But what I told the team in the locker room is that, that’s the price of admission. That’s the expectation. We should do that all the time. But I did think we brought that today, which we were looking for. But also, the final result, we’re trying to win. It can’t just be effort and energy when we’re trying to win. I was proud that we got to the free throw like 25 times and made 23 of them. We’ve been looking for that 80 percent. I thought we rebounded the ball well, but at the end of the day, 20 turnovers and they scored 32 points off of it.”
On the team’s discipline at the end of the game…
“What I talked to them about, I did think we flew around defensively, but we made costly defensive mistakes when it mattered. We talked about if people get by us, try to build a wall, make people score over us. If we’re going to foul them, we need to foul them on the floor. It can’t be an and-one. So, we’ll have to continue to go back and work on that during practice.”
On what she can do as a coach to ensure the team still has shooting confidence …
“When you’re on the sideline, you just keep telling them, ‘that’s a good shot for you. Take the shot. You can hit those.’ Just try to feed them with confidence in practice. Go back and work on it, and work on it with the defense, so it stimulates a game. But at the end of the day, we have to be able to knock those layups down. All of them are capable of doing so. I think it’s more mental now, of seeing the ball not go into the basket. So, we’ll continue to work on it, and just try to give them confidence, because we’re a better shooting team than what we’re showing.”
On if it is time to press the panic button for the season…
“I mean, it’s a long season. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We have one more (non-conference) game and that’s the most important game on our schedule to try to focus on. We can’t bury our head in the sand. We have got to find a way to go back, go to work and find a way to get a win and get back on the winning side of things.”
On why the team continues to have a slow start in the beginning of each game…
“Well, definitely not our intention to go in the game starting slow. We would love to get off to a quick start. I do think sometimes what happens offensively does affect us. Whether we miss an outside shot or a layup, which is deflating since we hadn’t been shooting the ball well. So sometimes I think we’re playing in rewind instead of fast forward. Then it shows on the defensive side where we’re not mentally locked in because we’re still thinking about the layup or the open shot that we’ve missed. We’re going to have to get off to better starts. The staff and I will have to go back and reevaluate. What are some things we can do to help the team in that area?”
On Maddie Scherr’s statement about the team not hating losing bad enough …
“I agree with Maddie because we’re losing. So, obviously we don’t hate it enough because we haven’t figured out how to win yet. So, I back her in that statement and I actually love it. That’s a competitor. We hate to lose. You know, this program is built around winning and that is the standard. That is the expectation and that’s never going to change.”
Kentucky Player Quotes
#22, Maddie Scherr, G
On today’s outcome …
“I think the way we came out was way too slow. I think it was an 8-0 run and we weren’t ready and that starts with our mindset coming out on the floor. It’s definitely unacceptable. I think (FGCU) scoring 32 points on our turnovers lost us the game right there, too. We have to take better care of the ball and playing like every possession matters.”
On playing through offensive struggles …
“I just want to win. I know I shot terrible from the field today and I was aware of that, but I want to win. That means doing everything else for my team, even if I’m not hitting shots. It’s just a mindset and I think, as a team, we don’t hate losing enough.”
#21, Nyah Leveretter, F
On the slow start …
“I think we dug ourselves too deep of a hole too early. I mean there’s only a small room for error so we can’t be doing that. We have to be more disciplined.”
On the team’s mindset…
“When it comes to mentally locking in, we need to realize when we notice people (are down) and rallying everyone back together so that we can on the same page and so that we don’t have those slow starts.”