UK Turns the Tables on Auburn with Pressure D

Auburn is among the best in the country forcing turnovers and showed why on Thursday night.
 
Kentucky gave the Tigers a dose of their own medicine with pressure defense too.
 
“I didn’t know that it would do the damage it did,” Matthew Mitchell said. “I thought we had some opportunity. I was hoping we could win the turnover battle and it was not pretty tonight with 20 turnovers on our part. To force them into 25 was fantastic.”
 
Even as the Wildcats struggled to cope with Auburn’s pressure, they made the Tigers feel even more uncomfortable on the other end of the floor. UK (12-11, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) won the turnover battle and the game to extend its winning streak to three in Memorial Coliseum with a 65-48 victory over Auburn (11-10, 2-7 SEC).
 
“Auburn’s known for their press, so we knew they were going to turn us over some,” said Maci Morris, who scored a game-high 18 points and in the process became the 33rd player in UK history to score 1,000 career points. “We just had to come back and give more effort and energy to them and make them turn it over.”
 
It was somewhat of a throwback for the Wildcats, who have gone away from the trapping, high-pressure defensive style that defined Mitchell’s early seasons in Lexington. Mitchell said in the preseason he wanted to make a return to it this year, but things hadn’t played out that way.
 
Well, not before Thursday.
 
UK committed a season-high 20 turnovers, but forced 25, also a season high. The Cats scored 32 points off the turnovers they forced and the game’s decisive stretch was fueled in large part by that. UK forced five turnovers and scored nine points off them during a 13-0 run to open the fourth quarter and turn a four-point lead into a third straight double-digit win.
 
“Beautiful fourth quarter,” Mitchell said. “People just flying all over the place and making plays. Excited about that.”
 
Taylor Murray was the statistical headliner on defense by corralling five of UK’s 16 steals, but a player who had a much quieter evening according to the box score may have been the key to it all. Playing at the top of UK’s zone press, KeKe McKinney was on the floor for 35 minutes and had a solid line of nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. It doesn’t do her justice though.
 
“I’ll tell you who gets a lot of credit is KeKe McKinney, who’s on the top of that press for 35 minutes running side to side and finally the game kind of popped open and we were able to really turn them over some,” Mitchell said. “Her hustle was really key and it won’t show up in the stat sheet, but that looked good.”
 
The true freshman’s best basketball has come during UK’s recent winning streak. McKinney, after fixating on offense early in the season, has embraced a much more comprehensive role.
 
“KeKe’s one of our huge energy people,” said Alyssa Rice, who nearly had a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. “Each and every possession, she gives us energy on the offensive and defensive end. She’s like our hype man. She does the little things that may not show up on the stat sheet, but she’s definitely a huge factor on this team.”
 
Whether McKinney spends more time spearheading that press remains to be seen. Every day is about finding what works best for this rapidly developing team.
 
“We’re trying to find ways to win games, trying to find ways to get better,” Mitchell said. “Tonight was a good night as far as forcing turnovers. So, proud of them and we just need to come back to work tomorrow really humble and hungry and try to get better tomorrow.”