LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior guard Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) scored a team-high 21 points to lead four Kentucky players in double figure scoring as the Wildcats held off a late Florida charge for an 84-74 win in Memorial Coliseum on Super Bowl Sunday.
Kentucky (15-9, 4-5 Southeastern Conference), which broke a three-game losing streak with the win, led by 18 points (71-53) with 4:38 left in the game when the Gators (6-18, 0-9 SEC) began their comeback. Florida, coached by former UK assistant coach Carolyn Peck, went on a 19-6 run over the next 3:27 to pull within five, 77-72 with 1:26 remaining in the game. The Wildcats, however, made 7-of-8 clutch free throws in the final minute to secure their first win over Florida in Memorial since 2003.
?It was a tale of two halves today,? UK head coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?I thought that in the first half, we came out as strong as we have played all year. I was very pleased with the intensity and the way we executed offensively. Midway through the second half, Florida turned up the heat a little bit. I don?t know if we started playing conservative or what, but they just kept chipping away. It got a little ugly there in the end, but I am just pleased that we were able to pull it out.?
Mahoney eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the third time, while junior center Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) was one rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds to complement three blocks. Sophomore point guard Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) added 16 points, including a career-high 10 free throws (10-of-13). She has scored in double figures in four of her last five games. Freshman forward Amani Franklin (Decatur, Ga.) scored a career-high 10 points, including a personal best two three-pointers.
Kentucky, which shot a season-best 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field, also won the rebound battle by 13 (44-31), its second-largest rebounding margin in SEC play this season. Senior forward/center Jennifer Humphrey (Memphis, Tenn.) led the rebounding effort for the 14th time this year with 10 boards and also dished out a game-high seven assists. UK?s 21 assists as a team also were a season-high.
The Wildcats charged to a 16-4 advantage to begin the game thanks to 10 points from Mahoney, including two three-pointers. Kentucky extended its lead to 22-6 at the 11:56 mark to cap a 6-0 run after back-to-back baskets by Mahoney and Humphrey.
Florida pulled within eight, 26-18, with 7:39 left in the half before Elliott and Humphrey connected on consecutive baskets to extend the Kentucky advantage back to 30-18 with 6:23 remaining. With the Cats leading 30-18, Florida went on a 6-0 run to come within six points at 30-24. UK closed the half on a 13-0 run to take a 43-24 advantage into the locker room at intermission. The Cats, who shot a blistering 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from the floor in the first half, held the Gators without a field goal for the final 3:55 of the opening period.
Florida scored the first three points out of halftime, but from there, the Wildcats went on a 12-3 run over the next 3:42 to take a 55-27 lead with 14:48 remaining. Ormerod had two three-pointers during that stretch. With Kentucky leading 57-31, the Gators used an 8-0 run to get themselves back in the game at 57-39 with 10:23 left. Franklin scored on three of the next four possessions, including two three-pointers to put the Cats up by 21, 67-46.
The Gators begin chipping away at the lead with a 7-0 run to come within 14, 67-53, with 5:08 remaining in the game. After a basket by Elliott, Florida began its late charge with a 19-6 run over the next 3:27.
?I am happy about the bottom line,? DeMoss said. ?Florida just kept putting their heads down and going to the basket. They were knocking down some shots and getting to the free-throw line. They had the momentum there and we just did not stay too composed. We had 22 turnovers which is way too many.?
Florida?s Briana Phillips scored a game-high 23 points and brought down a squad-best eight rebounds. Marshae Dotson added 17 points.
The two teams complete the season series Feb. 25 when the Wildcats and Gators square off in the Stephen C. O?Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Kentucky returns to action Thursday when it travels to Oxford, Miss., for a re-match with Ole Miss. Tip-off in C.M. ?Tad? Smith Coliseum is slated for 8 p.m. EST and the game will be carried live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with Neil Price.
