HONOLULU – Despite a career-high 29 points from senior guard Samantha Mahoney (Detroit), Minnesota shot a blistering 63.3 percent (19-of-30) in the second half Friday to notch a 92-80 win against Kentucky in the first round of the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Wildcats (2-2) will face No. 22 Texas at 6:10 p.m. EST Saturday in the Rainbow Wahine Classic. The Longhorns (2-2) were upset by Virginia, 86-83, on Friday afternoon. Saturday?s game will be broadcast live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with Neil Price.
The Golden Gophers (6-0), who shot 55.2 percent (32-of-58) from the floor in the game, took control in the contest?s final 12 minutes. Trailing 54-52 at the 12:24 mark, Minnesota sparked an 8-0 run to go ahead 60-54 and never looked back. Kentucky cut its deficit to three, 62-59, with 10:13 remaining, but the Golden Gophers went on another 8-0 run over the next 2:13 to put the game away. The Cats could not get closer than nine points the rest of the way. Five of the eight players who saw action for Minnesota scored in double figures.
Kentucky shot a season-high 52.4 percent (33-of-53) from the floor and 70 percent (7-of-10) from the free-throw line. Minnesota made 21-of-32 free-throws in the game, as the Wildcats struggled with foul trouble throughout much of the contest. The Wildcats, who used their fourth-different starting lineup of the season, scored a season-high 80 points in the game.
?We played much better offensively tonight,? UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said. ?But our post players, for the progress they made offensively, they took a few steps back defensively. Minnesota obviously out-hustled us and that was disappointing. We?re playing a lot of young players right now and they?re definitely getting good experience against very good teams. Our young players are going to have to keep battling and working hard, and we will eventually get there.?
Mahoney’s career-high 29 points included a career-high five three-pointers to lead the Wildcats. Mahoney, who has scored in double figures in three consecutive games, moved into 12th place on UK?s all-time career scoring list and now has 1,226 career points. She was 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.
?I am really proud of Sam,? Mitchell said. ?She?s doing everything that we have asked her to do. She is more vocal, she?s more aggressive offensively and defensively, and she has improved in every way. Her 29 points went a long way tonight and I?m proud of the way that she played.?
Senior center Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) added 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while freshman guard Carly Morrow (Chattanooga, Tenn.) chipped in a career-high 12 points. Freshman forward Victoria Dunlap (Nashville, Tenn.) matched her career high by scoring nine points for the second consecutive game, while junior point guard Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) dished out a season-high five assists to complement six points.
The two teams traded baskets for the early part of the game before Minnesota, trailing 14-13 with 13:01 to go in the first half, went on an 8-2 run over the next 1:50 to go up 21-16. Sophomore Lydia Watkins (Hopkinsville, Ky.) hit a jumper at the 10:35 mark to stop the scoring streak and begin a Kentucky rally. Down 24-20, the Wildcats went on a 6-2 run that was capped off by back-to-back baskets from Elliott and Morrow to knot the score at 26-26 with just over eight minutes left in the opening period.
The Golden Gophers built their lead back up to 30-26 with 5:58 to go until halftime before the Wildcats scored 10 unanswered points over the next 2:28 to take their largest lead of the game at 36-30 after a basket by Ormerod. Elliott had four points during that stretch. The Wildcats extended their advantage to 39-32 on a three-pointer by Morrow with 3:15 remaining in the half and went into the locker room with a 40-37 lead. Kentucky shot an impressive 54.5 percent (18-of-33) in the opening period.
Mahoney scored five of the first seven points of the second half to extend UK?s advantage to 45-39 with 17:21 remaining in the game. With the Wildcats leading 47-41 and 16:47 remaining after an Elliott basket, Minnesota went on a 9-2 run over the next 14:05 to go back in front 50-49. Dunlap knocked down a shot to put the Cats up 54-52, but the Golden Gophers went on an 8-0 run to take a 60-54 advantage. Leading 62-59 with 10:13 left in the game, Minnesota went on another 8-0 streak over the next 2:13 to go up 70-59 before a three by Morrow stopped UK?s drought.
The Wildcats trailed by as many as 16 points in the game (83-67 with 3:22 left) in the game before rallying to come within nine, 87-78, with 1:21 left after a three-pointer and a free-throw by Mahoney. From there, the Golden Gophers built their lead back up to 14, 92-78, with 39 seconds left.
Minnesota was led by Emily Fox?s 19 points and Katie Ohm?s 17 points that included a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. Ashley Ellis-Milan recorded a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
