March 22, 2010

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Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky improves to 27-7 while Michigan State ends its season at 23-10.
• Today’s win for UK snaps a three-game losing streak in the series with Michigan State. The Spartans maintain a slight 3-2 advantage in the series. UK is now 1-1 against Michigan State in NCAA Tournament meetings. In the previous series meeting, the Spartans defeated UK 67-63 in the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament in Chicago, Ill. (3/20/06).
• Kentucky snaps an eight-game losing streak to Big Ten opponents and improves its overall mark against the league to 29-41.
• Coach Matthew Mitchell’s overall record improves to 90-68, including a 60-39 mark at UK. Mitchell’s record against Michigan State moves to 1-0.
• Kentucky completes its all-time record at Freedom Hall at 11-11.

NCAA Tournament Notes

• Up next: Kentucky advances to the Kansas City regional semifinals where it will face the winner of top-seed Nebraska vs. No. 8 seed UCLA on Sunday, March 28. Tip time is to be announced.
• Kentucky advances to the NCAA regional semifinals for the first time since 1982.
• The Wildcats improve their NCAA Tournament record to 6-6 overall and 1-2 in second-round contests.
• UK’s 18-point win marks the Wildcats’ largest margin of victory in the NCAA Tournament. The previous high was 10 points in a 69-59 first-round victory over Chattanooga in 2006.
• The 52 points allowed were the fewest for a UK opponent in the NCAA Tournament. The previous low was 59 to Chattanooga in 2006.
• Kentucky held Michigan State to 34.5 percent shooting from the field (19-of-55). It marks the lowest shooting effort by a UK opponent in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans’ 16.7 percent shooting from three-point range (2-of-12) was also the lowest by a UK opponent at the NCAA Tournament.
• The win also marks the first time Kentucky has placed its men’s and women’s basketball programs into the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals since 1982.

Team Game Notes

• Key run: Kentucky closed the first half and started the second half with runs that decided the contest. The Wildcats trailed 28-24 with 6:43 left in the first half when they closed on an 11-3 spurt. UK then opened the second stanza on a 17-8 run that gave the Wildcats a 52-39 advantage with 12:18 remaining. Eight different UK players scored during the combined runs led by Rebecca Gray’s six points. Lydia Watkins, A’dia Mathies and Amani Franklin had four points each.
• Kentucky extends the school record for wins in a season to 27.
• UK extended its streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer to 222 consecutive games, dating back to the 2003-04 season.
• UK swiped 14 steals against the Spartans to set the school record for steals in a season with 396. The previous record of 382 steals was set by the 1990-91 squad. UK has swiped 10 or more steals in 25 games this season.
• Kentucky has held its opponent under 50 percent field goal shooting in 32 of 34 games this season.
• Kentucky forced Michigan State into 18 turnovers. The Wildcats are 24-6 when forcing more turnovers than the opponent.
• UK improves to 18-1 when scoring 70 or more points in a game this season; 23-1 when outscoring the opponent in the paint (36-18 against the Spartans); 20-1 when holding its opponent under 60 points and 18-0 when out-rebounding its opponent (40-37).
• UK improves to 19-1 when leading at the half.
• Kentucky started with the lineup of Keyla Snowden, Victoria Dunlap, Amber Smith, Amani Franklin and A’dia Mathies for the sixth time this season. That lineup is 4-3.
• Kentucky improves its record against ranked teams to 4-4.
• The UK men’s and women’s teams have combined to win 61 of 70 games played this season. The 61-9 combined record is the best of any Division I school.

Individual Game Notes

• Junior forward and SEC Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap scored 21 points to go with a team-high eight rebounds and three steals. She made 9-of-13 from the field.
  • Has posted 20 or more points in 20 games in her career, including 11 this season. She has scored 20 or more points in four of five post-season games this year.
  • Has scored in double figures in 31 of 33 games played this season.
  • Has recorded at least one steal in 41 consecutive games.
  • Swiped three steals to tie the UK single-season steals record with 104. She equaled the mark set by Leslie Nichols (1986) and Rita Adams (2002).
  • Moved into 14th place on the UK career scoring list with 1,235 points.
  • Moved into fifth place on the UK career rebounds list with 791.
• Sophomore guard Keyla Snowden scored 10 points thanks in part to 7-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line.
  • Has scored in double figures in 10 games this season, including each of the last three.
  • Her free throws made and attempted were UK career highs for the sophomore.
• Junior point guard Amber Smith handed out five assists to go with six points and three steals.
  • Has handed out five or more assists on 12 occasions this year.
  • Has 32 assists in five post-season games this season (6.4 per game).
• Senior Lydia Watkins scored eight of her nine points in the first half. It marked the most points for the senior reserved since netting 10 points on Senior Day vs. South Carolina.
• The senior duo of Amani Franklin and Lydia Watkins combined for 17 points, 10 rebounds and were a combined 7-of-13 from the field.
• Freshman guard A’dia Mathies extended UK’s freshman steals record for 86 with four steals tonight.
  • Added eight points, six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
  • Ties for second on UK’s freshman field goals made list with Maria Donhoff (165).
  • Moved past Laura Meadows up to No. 7 on UK’s freshman rebounding list with 165.