Kentucky-N.C. State Postgame Notes

UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY VS. NO. 10/16 NC STATE
THURSDAY, NOV. 23, 2023
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGIN ISLANDS SPORTS AND FITNESS CENTER – ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
 

No. 10/16 NC State 84, Kentucky 55 – FINAL

 
Team Records and Series Notes 

• Kentucky is 2-3 in 2023-24, while NC State is 5-0 this season.
  • UK is 0-1 again Associated Press ranked teams this season.
• The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 50th season.
  • UK has an 896-591 (.603) all-time record, just four wins away from 900.
• Kyra Elzy is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 51-43 (.543) overall record.
• UK trails NC State in the all-time series, 2-5.
  • UK has dropped the last three games in the series against NC State.
• Kentucky will play No. 3/4 Colorado on Friday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. ET at the University of Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Team Notes

• Kentucky used the starting combination Brooklynn Miles, Maddie Scherr, Amiya Jenkins, Zennia Thomas and Ajae Petty for the first time this season.
  • Kentucky is 0-1 when using that starting combination.
    • UK has used a different starting lineup for the past four straight games, including this afternoon’s game.
  • The Wildcats won the opening tip.
  • Ajae Petty was the first player to score for Kentucky.
  • Eniya Russell was the first substitute off the bench for Kentucky.
• The Wildcats shot 27.1 percent (16-of-59), while the Wolfpack shot 54.8 percent from the field (34-of-92).
  • The Cats had 26 points from the bench, two shy of the season high.
• Kentucky lost the rebound battle to NC State, 45-28.
• UK made a season-best eight 3-pointers in the game, four more than its previous high.
• The Wildcats went a season-best, 15-of-19 (.789) from the line.

How It Happened

• Ajae Petty scored first in the game on a jumper at 9:40.
  • NC State followed with an 11-0 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes, as Kentucky called its first timeout of the game at 6:04.
  • NC State scored four more points out of the timeout to make it a 15-0 run.
  • Eniya Russell capped UK’s scoring drought at 4:42 on a three-point field goal.
  • It was balanced scoring the rest of the way, as NC State led Kentucky, 31-16, at the end of the first quarter.
• Kentucky and NC State each scored just four points through the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter.
  • UK’s four points in that time came of 4-of-4 from the line, before Kentucky scored its first and only field goal of the period at the six-minute mark thanks to a turnaround jumper by Eniya Russell.
  • NC State outscored Kentucky, 18-2, the rest of the period, taking a 55-24 lead at halftime.
• The Wolfpack outscored the Wildcats, 21-10, in the third quarter, as they took a 76-34 lead at the end of the period.
• The Wildcats went on a 5-0 run to start the fourth quarter, thanks to a 3-pointer by Amiya Jenkins (8:37) and a jumper by Eniya Russell (7:58).
  • After a couple field goals by NC State, the Wildcats made three straight 3-pointers, two by Saniah Tyler and one by Emma King, to force a 14-4 run in the with three minutes remaining in the game.
  • Kentucky outscored NC State, 21-8, in the fourth quarter, as the Cats dropped to the Pack, 84-55.

Player Notes

• Three Wildcats tied for the team lead in scoring, including Eniya Russell (9), Saniah Tyler (9) and Ajae Petty (9).
• Maddie Scherr, a senior guard, who returned to the court after missing the last two games, contributed seven points, two steals, one assist and one rebound.
  • She has recorded at least one steal in eight straight games.
  • She has recorded at least two steals in a game for the second time this season and the 42nd time in her career.
• Emma King, a graduate guard, added eight points and a team-high tying and a career-high six rebounds.
  • She made a career-high tying two 3-pointers.
  • She added one assist.
• Amiya Jenkins, a sophomore guard, also added eight points and a team-high tying six rebounds.
  • She added one assist.
• Janae Walker, a freshman forward, played 17 minutes, contributing four rebounds and two blocks, all of which are career highs.