Kentucky-Vanderbilt Postgame Notes

UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT
SUNDAY, FEB. 19, 2023
MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM – NASHVILLE, TENN.
  

Vanderbilt 79, Kentucky 57 – FINAL 
 
Team Records and Series Notes   

• The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 49th season with an 892-584 (.604) all-time record.    
  • The Wildcats are now 10-16 overall and 2-12 in the league.  
  • The Commodores are now 12-16 overall and 3-11 in the league. 
• Kyra Elzy is in her third season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 47-37 overall record.   
  • She has a 19-26 overall record in the SEC. 
• Kentucky trails the all-time meetings with Vanderbilt, 31-28, in a series that began in 1981.  
  • UK trails VU in games played in Nashville, 17-9. 
• Kentucky will play Texas A&M in Bryan-College Station, Texas, on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network. 

Team Notes   

• Kentucky used the starting combination Jada Walker, Adebola Adeyeye, Robyn Benton, Blair Green, and Nyah Leveretter for the first time this season. UK is 0-1 using that starting combination.   
  • Vanderbilt won the opening tip.  
  • Jada Walker was the first Kentucky player to score for the 10th time this season.  
  • Amiya Jenkins was the first substitute off the bench for Kentucky for the second time this season.  
• Kentucky led Vanderbilt, 15-11, at the end of the first quarter. 
  • The first six minutes were a game of runs, with the Dores going on a 4-0 lead to start the game, followed by the Cats returning a 6-0 run for their first lead in the game (6-4, 7:09).  
    • Adebola Adeyeye was responsible for the final four points of that run on a pair of layups.  
  • The Dores responded with a 5-0 run, followed by the Cats’ 7-0 run to regain the lead, which was capped by Blair Green’s make from long range. 
  • Kentucky stretched its 7-0 run into a 9-2 run to close the period, after Adebola Adeyeye drew a shooting foul and knocked down both of her free throws.  
• The Wildcats trailed the Commodores, 24-22, at halftime.  
  • Vanderbilt scored first in the second quarter on a jumper in the paint, which turned into an old-fashioned, three-point play after a blocking call on Adeyeye.  
  • Kentucky scored its next three points on free throws, then Eniya Russell turned that into a 5-0 run after a jumper in the paint. 
    • Kentucky led Vanderbilt, 20-14, with four minutes and 59 seconds remaining in the half. 
  • A 10-2 run by the Commodores in the final five minutes of the period would give them a two-point lead at halftime. 
    • The Wildcats’ lone field goal during that stretch would come off a layup by freshman Zennia Thomas, assisted by Green. 
• Vanderbilt outscored Kentucky, 28-13, in the third quarter to lead UK, 52-35, at the end of the period. 
  • The Dores’ Marnelle Garraud went on a 6-0 run for herself with straight layups in the first two minutes and 27 seconds of the third quarter, which prompted the Cats to call a timeout.  
    • Out of the timeout, the Dores turned their 6-0 run into a 14-0 run over the first three minutes and five seconds of the third quarter. 
      • Six of those 14 points came off turnovers. 
      • Vanderbilt led Kentucky, 38-22, after that series, with 6:55 remaining in the period. 
  • It was balanced scoring the remainder of the period, with the Commodores outscoring the Wildcats narrowly, 14-13, in that time, and neither team going on a run greater than four points. 
    • During that stretch, Vanderbilt made four straight 3-pointers. 
• Vanderbilt opened up the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run. 
  • During that stretch, both Robyn Benton and Kyra Elzy received technicals, while Benton was ejected from the game.  
  • Scoring was back-and-forth for almost the remainder of the fourth quarter, with neither team going on a run for more than four points until Kentucky went on a 9-3 run down the stretch, which included a 7-0 series. 
• Vanderbilt defeated Kentucky, 79-57.  
• Kentucky and Vanderbilt tied in rebounds, 36-36, while the Cats outscored the Dores, 16-9, in second-chance points.
• Kentucky also outscored Vanderbilt in bench points, 21-8.
• Of Kentucky’s 57 points, 36 were paint points.

Player Notes   

• Graduate forward Adebola Adeyeye led all Wildcats with 13 points, going 5-6 from the floor and a perfect 3-3 at the line. 
  • It was her second straight game, and just the second time this season, she has scored in double digits.   
  • It marked the first time that she has led Kentucky in scoring. 
  • She added nine rebounds. 
• Graduate guard Blair Green had 11 points and a season-high three assists.  
  • It marked her second straight game scoring in double digits.  
  • It marked the second straight game she dished out three assists. 
  • She added a rebound. 
• Sophomore guard Jada Walker had eight points. 
  • The conference leader in steals all season long, she added four steals, two rebounds and an assist. 
• Freshman guard Amiya Jenkins had seven points and a career-high eight rebounds.  
• Freshman forward Zennia Thomas had a career-high six points on 3-4 shooting and a career-high tying two rebounds.