Senior guard/forward Sara Potts sank a jumper from the left wing with 35 seconds remaining and nailed 4-of-4 critical free-throws in the final 15 seconds, as the Kentucky women?s basketball team rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat Xavier, 67-62, Thursday in Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats overcame a halftime deficit for only the second time this season. UK advances to the semifinals of the Sportsview.tv Women?s National Invitation Tournament Monday, March 28 vs. West Virginia. Game time is 7 p.m. EST in Memorial Coliseum.
Potts scored 29 of her 31 points in the second half, one point shy of her career-high 32 set in the Cats? (18-15) last outing vs. Chattanooga. The Wildcats scored the game?s final 14 points, including 11 from Potts. The senior, not wanting her Kentucky career to end, made 12-of-23 shots from the field. Her 12 field goals were a career high. Senior forward Keiko Tate ended the game with six rebounds.
With 17 seconds remaining in the game and the Cats leading by only one, 63-62, Xavier sharp shooter Tara Boothe was picked off by senior UK guard Danyelle Payne. Potts came away with the loose ball and was instantly fouled. She went on to hit 4-of-4 clutch free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal the win. Payne ended the game with 11 points and three steals.
The UK senior class of Payne, Potts and Tate combined for 44 points and 20 rebounds.
?Wow – what a game,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?I thought we had a great comeback. The thing I liked about what I saw tonight was the fact that we never quit. We kept believing that we could win the game. Our seniors, I could see it in their eyes. They weren?t ready for the season to be over. Our seniors stepped up big. The whole team (stepped up big), but I saw that will in the three seniors. I?m very proud of this win. It?s a huge win for this program.?
After falling behind by their largest deficit, 40-26, early in the second half, the Wildcats began to make a comeback to ignite a raucous Memorial Coliseum crowd of 3,531. A three-pointer by Potts at the 16:52 mark brought the Cats back into the game at 43-34. Following a pair of Xavier free-throws, Potts made back-to-back baskets in under a minute, including a resounding three-pointer at the top of the key to pull Kentucky to within six, 45-39 with 14:50 remaining in the game.
Despite numerous attempts by the Musketeers (22-10) to hold off the Wildcats, a jumper from the left block by Tate kept UK within six (51-45) at the 11:37 mark. After another basket by Potts, a UK block on the other end resulted in a Potts basket to pull the Cats to within four, 53-49, with just over nine minutes left.
?I think their star player taking over (was the difference),? Xavier Coach Kevin McGuff said. ?Sara Potts was outstanding the whole second half, especially down the stretch. She made every huge shot that they needed. She played a great game.?
The Cats continued fighting as Potts hit a jumper in the lane with 7:06 left to pull UK to within two, 55-53. Xavier?s Suntana Granderson hit a three to spark a 7-0 run and put the Musketeers ahead 62-53 with 5:18 remaining. A three-pointer by Potts brought UK to within three, 62-59, with 3:24 left. A crafty spin move by Potts in the lane cut the deficit to one, 62-61, with 2:30 to go. Xavier?s three-point attempt on the ensuing possession went wide of the hoop.
The Wildcats overcame a mediocre shooting performance (11-of-28) in the first half to shoot 50 percent (16-of-32) in the second period. UK ended the game shooting 45 percent (27-of-60). The Wildcats trailed 34-24 at halftime and managed to shoot only 39.3 percent (11-of-28) from the floor in the opening period.
Kentucky led 6-5 early in the game, but trailed the rest of the half. Xavier went on an 8-0 run to quickly build a 13-6 advantage on the first of two free-throws by Boothe. UK was able to trim the Musketeers? lead to four, 18-14, at the 9:29 mark on three consecutive baskets including a shot in deep by Humphrey to cap off a 4-0 Cats? run. Xavier then went on a 10-2 run to extend its edge to 28-16 with 2:42 remaining in the first half.
Boothe, who came into the game averaging 33.0 points per game in postseason play, scored a team-high 25 points to lead the Musketeers. She also added a team-high nine rebounds.
