Kentucky-Tennessee Postgame Notes

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY VS. RV/NR TENNESSEE

SUNDAY, FEB. 26, 2023

MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
  

Tennessee 83, Kentucky 63 – FINAL
 
Team Records and Series Notes   

• The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 49th season with an 892-586 (.603) all-time record.    
  • The Wildcats are now 10-18 overall, and they concluded the SEC season 2-14. 
  • The Lady Volunteers are now 21-10 overall, and they concluded the SEC season 13-3. 
• Kyra Elzy is in her third season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 47-39 overall record.   
  • She has a 19-28 overall record in the SEC. 
• Kentucky trails the all-time series with Tennessee, 58-16, in a series that began in 1976.  
  • Kentucky trails Tennessee in games played in Lexington, 23-10. 
• Kentucky will be the No. 14 seed in the 2023 Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament. 
  •  It will play the No. 11 seed (undecided opponent) in Game Two on Wednesday, March 1 (roughly 1:30 p.m. ET).  
  • The tournament returns to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. 
  • The game will air on SEC Network.  

Team Notes   

• Prior to the game, graduate forward Adebola Adeyeye and graduate guards Robyn Benton and Blair Green were recognized in Senior Day ceremonies.  
• Kentucky used the starting combination sophomore guard Jada Walker, junior guard Maddie Scherr, graduate guard Robyn Benton, graduate guard Blair Green and graduate forward Adebola Adeyeye for the sixth time this season.  
  • UK is 3-3 this season when using this starting combination.  
• Tennessee won the opening tip, marking the 20th time this season that the Wildcats have lost the opening tip.  
• Maddie Scherr was the first wildcat to score, hitting a layup to snap a 13-0 Tennessee run to start the game.  
• Ajae Petty was the first sub off the bench for Kentucky 
• Tennessee got off to a 7-0 start in the first three minutes and 23 seconds of the game, which prompted Kentucky to burn a timeout early (6:37). 
  • Tennessee stretched its lead to 13-0 out of the timeout. 
  • Maddie Scherr made Kentucky’s first basket of the game on a layup in the paint at 5:31. 
  • Tennessee responded on back-to-back layups, then Robyn Benton answered with a make from long range.  
  • Tennessee went on a 6-0 run, then Kentucky used the final two-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter to go on a 10-2 run to get within 10 points. 
  • The Lady Volunteers led the Wildcats, 25-15, at the end of the first quarter. 
• Kentucky and Tennessee traded baskets over the first five minutes of the second quarter, as the two teams went 10-10 in that time. 
  • Tennessee used the final bucket of that back-and-forth scoring series to go on a 12-4 run to cap the second quarter. 
  • The Lady Volunteers led the Wildcats, 45-28, at halftime. 
    • The Vols shot over 58 percent from the field, while the Cats shot over 34 percent from the floors, in the first half.  
• Jada Walker scored first in the second half on a jumper in the paint, before Tennessee went on an 8-0 run. 
  • Scherr snapped the scoring streak with a jumper at 6:08, with Kentucky narrowly outscoring Tennessee, 7-6, over the next three minutes.  
    • Scherr score on a layup and drew a foul at the end of that scoring series, knocking down her extra point. Scherr’s layup (3:19) was Kentucky’s last field goal of the third quarter, while UK did go 5-of-5 from the line during those remaining minutes. 
  • Tennessee led Kentucky, 68-41, at the end of the third quarter. 
• Tennessee scored first in the fourth quarter on a fastbreak layup, then Kentucky went on a 17-4 run over the next five minutes.  
  • Kentucky extended that run, 19-7, with Scherr responsible for 14 of those 19 points, as the Cats trailed the Vols, 60-76, at the end of that series with three minutes remaining in the game.  
    • That scoring series held the Cats cut the Vols lead by almost half. 
  • Tennessee immediately responded to that 19-7 run with a layup in the paint, then Benton rallied a 1-of-2 free throws after shooting foul. 
  • On their next possession, the Lady Volunteers made a second-chance jumper the made 1-of-2 free throws after Benton’s fifth foul of the game.  
  • Walker made a pullup jumper in the paint on Kentucky’s next possession. 
  • Tennessee concluded the game with a second-chance jumper at the buzzer. 
  • UK outscored UT, 22-16, in the fourth quarter. 
  • Tennessee defeated Kentucky, 83-63. 
• Kentucky forced Tennessee to commit 21 turnovers, while it committed just 14 themselves. 
  • UK outscored UT in points off turnovers, 23-15. 
  • UK has forced 14 of its 28 opponents into at least 20 turnovers this season. 

Player Notes   

• Junior guard Maddie Scherr led Kentucky with a career-high 27 points, while 14 of those points came in the fourth quarter. 
  • Scherr has led Kentucky in scoring four times this season.  
  • She added four rebounds, one assist and one steal. 
• Graduate guard Robyn Benton had 17 points on 5-11 from the floor, including 1-3 from long range, and 6-8 from the line. 
  • Benton has scored 10 or more points in 25 games this season, including 64 games in her career.  
  • Benton has scored 15 or more points in 17 games this season, including 25 games in her career.  
  • She added two rebounds, an assist and a block.  
• Sophomore guard Jada Walker had 10 points on 5-11 from the floor. 
  • She added three rebounds and a team-high four assists and a team-high four steals. 
    • She has led Kentucky in assists nine times this season. 
    • She has led Kentucky in steals 13 times this season. 
  • Walker, who has led the SEC all season in steals and steals per game, has made at least four steals in two of her last three games. 
  • Three of her four steals came during the 19-7 run in the fourth quarter.  
• Graduate forward Adebola Adeyeye led Kentucky with eight rebounds. 
  • She has led Kentucky in rebounds seven times this season. 
  • She has made at least eight rebounds in three of the last four games and in six games this season. 
  • She added five points and a steal.