Second Half Rally Leads Kentucky Past Lipscomb
Basketball coaches on every level implore their players to play until the final whistle because every play matters. That adage came true for the Kentucky women’s basketball team on Thursday.
The Cats trailed Lipscomb by double digits just before halftime when Maddie Scherr launched a long three at the halftime buzzer. The shot dropped, cutting the deficit to just nine points. But more importantly, it gave UK momentum going into the second half.
Kentucky used that momentum to rally from behind and win 87-80 inside Rupp Arena. It was the 900th win in program history for the Cats.
Maddie Scherr led Kentucky with 25 points, while Saniya Tyler set her career high in points for the second consecutive game, scoring 22. Amiya Jenkins also had a career high with 20 points for the Cats.
The Cats got hot from the floor in the final 20 minutes. UK hit 16 of 25 (64 percent) of its shots in the second half, including 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) in the fourth quarter.
Kentucky got on the board first via a Brooklynn Miles free throw. The Cats would establish an 8-4 lead after a three from Cassidy Rowe and a Petty basket in the lane. But Lipscomb would score the next seven points to grab an 11-8 advantage.
The Bisons would lead by as many as nine in the first quarter and would hold a 25-20 advantage after 10 minutes of action.
Kentucky would cut into the deficit early in the second period on consecutive baskets from Amiya Jenkins. The Cats would get within one on three occasions, including at 29-28 on a Petty layup. But Lipscomb answered by scoring the next 12 points, extending the lead to 41-28.
The Cats take advantage of the long ball late in the first half, getting a pair of threes from Jenkins and another from Scherr to cut the halftime deficit to 46-37.
In the third period, Kentucky would continue to chip away at the deficit. Scherr led an 8-3 run that got the Cats within six, 51-45, with 5:52 left in the third.
Kentucky would get as close as four points, but Lipscomb led 63-56 heading into the final quarter.
Lipscomb scored first in the fourth quarter but Kentucky answered with a 10-2 run to get within one, 67-66, with 6:49 remaining. The run continued when Tyler scored on a drive to the basket and was fouled. She converted the three-point play to give UK a 69-67 lead with 5:46 left.
The Bisons tied the game at 69-69 before UK got a layup from Miles and two free throws from Scherr to lead 73-69 with 4:33 to play. UK would lead 75-73 before going on a 12-4 run to close out the win.
Kentucky returns to action on Dec. 31, facing Samford at the Clive M. Back Center on the campus of Transylvania University. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.
