MUNCIE, Ind. ? Junior Kentucky center Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the second half Monday and the Wildcats made 7-of-11 free throws in the game?s final two minutes to hold off Ball State for an 85-82 win in Worthen Arena in the second round of the Women?s National Invitation Tournament.
The Wildcats (20-13), who had four players score in double figures, have now eclipsed the 20-win plateau for the second consecutive season and the 10th time in school history. Kentucky has charted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1989-90 and 1990-91 campaigns. Ball State ends its season at 24-7.
Kentucky, which led by as many as 12 points in the game and was up 78-69 with 3:21 remaining, watched its lead dwindle to four points, 81-77, with 26 seconds remaining in the game. Junior guard Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) added a pair of free-throws on the ensuing possession before Ball State?s Kelsey Corbin and Julie Demuth combined for three free throws to whittle UK?s advantage down to three, 83-80, with 20 seconds left.
After a free-throw by senior guard Jenny Pfeiffer (North Vernon, Ind.), who was making a final return to her home state, Demuth drove in for a lay-up to make it a two-point game at the seven-second mark. Mahoney was instantly fouled and made one of her charity shots, but time expired before the Cardinals could get off a last-second shot.
?This was a great win for us tonight,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?I thought the kids played really well in a hostile environment, and it was just really good to see us pull out a close game. We did a good job of keeping our poise down the stretch. We beat a quality team on their home floor. It was just a really good battle for this basketball team. I saw a lot of growing up tonight. Our season and our schedule have really prepared us for this.?
Kentucky advances to play at Wisconsin on Thursday in the WNIT?s round of 16. Tip-off in the Kohl Center is set for 8 p.m. EDT and the game will be carried live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with Neil Price. For ticket information, contact the UW ticket office at (800)-462-2343 or log on to www.uwbadgers.com/tickets.
The Wildcats, who shot 48.3 percent (28-of-58) from the floor, committed a season-low seven turnovers in the game. UK was forced to play the final 7:03 without senior forward/center Jennifer Humphrey (Memphis, Tenn.), who fouled out. Humphrey finished with a team-high nine rebounds and surpassed Valerie Still for the most rebounds by a senior in a single season in school history.
Sophomore point guard Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) became just the eighth player in Kentucky history to chart a points-assists double-double. She finished with 13 points and a career-high 11 assists, while committing only one turnover.
?Carly did a great job of running the team tonight,? DeMoss said. ?She had 11 assists and just one turnover. To have that kind of stat says something about how much she values the basketball, running this team and making great decisions. She did that tonight and I was very pleased with her play.?
Mahoney 15 points, including a career-high nine free throws (9-for-10), while Pfeiffer added 13. Pfeiffer had four three-pointers and has now made nine three-pointers in her last two games combined.
Both teams were hot from the field to begin the game, but the Wildcats were able to take a 17-10 advantage thanks to early 67 percent shooting with 13:54 remaining in the opening period after a basket by Jenn?e Jackson (Radcliff, Ky.) and a steal and hoop by Mahoney on the ensuing possession. Ball State closed within five, 22-17, on a three-pointer by Tina Bolte before Kentucky went on a 9-0 run that was capped off by a trey from Pfeiffer at the 9:20 mark.
With the Wildcats leading 33-23 with 6:40 left until intermission, the Cardinals went on an 8-0 run that included five points from Demuth to come within two, 33-31, at the 4:18 mark. Senior guard Nastassia Alcius (Lexington, Ky.), who finished with eight points, connected on a three-pointer to stop the UK scoring drought, but Ball State wouldn?t go away.
The Cardinals cut their deficit to just one, 36-35, with 2:31 remaining until halftime. Alcius knocked down three free-throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt and Ormerod hit a three to put the Cats up 42-35. Kentucky took a 45-40 advantage into the locker room at halftime as both teams shot 52 percent from the floor in the opening stanza.
After the two teams played evenly for the first few minutes of the second half, the Wildcats used an 11-4 run to take their largest lead at 64-52 with 13:17 left on a three-pointer by Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer had six of UK?s 11 points during that scoring streak. Ball State, however, used a 5-0 run to come within seven before a jumper by freshman Lydia Watkins (Hopkinsville, Ky.) ended the drought.
With Kentucky leading 68-59 at the 9:51 mark of the second half, the Cardinals scored three consecutive baskets over the next 1:53 to close within one at 68-67. Elliott knocked down back-to-back baskets to push the Cats? edge back out to five, 72-67, with 6:19 left. The Wildcats built their advantage out to nine points before Ball State made its late-game comeback.
