Kentucky-Samford Postgame Notes

UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY VS. SAMFORD
SUNDAY, DEC. 31, 2023
CLIVE M. BECK CENTER – LEXINGTON, KY.
  

Kentucky 72, Samford 59 – FINAL

 
Team Records and Series Notes   

• Kentucky is 7-7 in 2023-24, while Samford is 7-7 this season. 
• The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 50th season. 
  • UK has a 901-595 (.602) all-time record. 
• Kyra Elzy is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 56-47 (.544) overall record. 
• Kentucky remains the leader in the series with Samford, 5-0, including 5-0 in Lexington. 
• Kentucky will play host to Arkansas on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. 
  • The game will be televised on the SEC Network+. 

Team Notes   

• Kentucky used the starting combination Brooklynn Miles, Cassidy Rowe, Maddie Scherr, Emma King and Ajae Petty for the second straight game and the third time this season and the third straight game. 
  • • UK is 3-0 when using that starting combination.  
    • For the first time this season, UK has used the same starting combination for three straight games. 
  • The Wildcats won the opening tip for the 12th time this season. 
  • Ajae Petty was the first player to score for Kentucky for the fourth time this season. 
  • Saniah Tyler and Amiya Jenkins were the first substitutes off the bench for Kentucky. 
• Kentucky scored 72 points in the triumph over Samford. 
  • UK is 7-0 – all seven of its wins – when it has scored 70-or-more points.  
• The Wildcats had 46 paint points, their second most this season.  
• Kentucky committed just eight turnovers and forced 22.  
  • It marked the second time this season UK has committed 10 or less turnovers. 
  • It marked the third time this season UK has forced at least 20 turnovers. 
    • UK is 3-0 when it has forced at least 20 turnovers. 
• UK had 10 steals, tied for its second most this season. 
  • UK is 3-0 when it has made at least 10 steals. 
• The Wildcats had 18 assists, its third most this season. 
  • UK is 5-0 when it dishes out at least 15 assists. 
  • UK has dished out at least 18 assists in two of the last three games. 
• Kentucky scored 22 points off turnovers, its third most this season. 
  • UK has scored at least 22 points off turnovers in three straight games.  

How It Happened 

• Kentucky led Samford, 12-7, at the first media timeout (4:36), with a Brooklynn Miles and-1 opportunity awaiting her at the line after the break. 
  • Miles knocked down her free throw after the break to extend UK’s lead to six. 
  • Much like the first five minutes, it was back-and-forth scoring for the remainder of the first quarter, with neither team going on a run of more than four points.  
    • Kentucky went 8-of-16 from the field for 50.0 percent shooting, while Samford went 6-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 from the arc. 
  • Kentucky narrowly led Samford, 21-17, at the end of the first quarter.  
• Kentucky fouled twice on the first possession of the second quarter, as Emma King and Eniya Russell both earned their second fouls of the game in the first several seconds of the period. Despite the setback, Kentucky forced Samford into a shot clock violation to begin the second quarter. 
  • The two teams traded possessions without a basket for the first two minutes and 30 seconds of the period, until the Bulldogs broke the ice on a layup at 7:29. That was the first of 3-of-3 for the Bulldogs, as they took a 23-21 lead into the first media timeout (6:01). 
    • The Bulldogs extended their run to 9-0 out of the timeout taking a 26-21 lead. 
  • The Wildcats earned their first points of the second quarter off an and-1 by Ajae Petty at 3:54. She also scored on their very next possession, too, helping the Cats tie the game, 26-26. 
  • The Wildcats ended the second quarter on an 11-4 run, including Petty’s 5-0 series, taking a two-point lead, 32-30, into the locker room at halftime. 
    • Kentucky went 13-of-32 from the field (40.6%), making just one 3-pointer, while Samford went 12-of-25 from the field (48.0%), making four 3-pointers, in the first half. 
• Kentucky begins the third quarter with a 7-0 run crafted in the first minute and 40 seconds of the period, which began with a couple of free throws and then a 3-pointer by Maddie Scherr. Then, Brooklynn Miles forced a turnover and flicked it out to Ajae Petty for the layup. Kentucky stretch its lead over Samford, 39-30, forcing Samford into a timeout. 
  • That turned into a 12-4 run, which helped Kentucky take its largest lead of the game, 44-34, at 5:57. 
  • However, on Samford scored on a layup on its very next possession, which would be the start of a 6-0 run for them to get within four points. 
  • It would remain a four-point game until the final seconds of the period when Brooklynn Miles tossed in a contested layup near the buzzer. 
  • Kentucky led Samford, 50-44, at the end of the third quarter. 
• Despite Samford scoring a turnaround jumper on its first possession of the fourth quarter, Kentucky fired back with an 8-0 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to take its largest lead of the game, 58-46, with five minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the game. 
  • • That 8-0 scoring run began with a pair of made free throws by Maddie Scherr, after the Bulldogs’ head coach received a technical foul. 
  • That run quickly turned into a 12-0 run and a 62-46 lead, which wasn’t capped until Samford scored a 3-pointer, just its second field goal of the period, at 4:17. 
  • It was balanced scoring the rest of the way, as Kentucky defeated Samford, 72-59. 

Player Notes   

• Ajae Petty, a senior forward, led Kentucky with 22 points and 13 rebounds. 
  • It marked her seventh double-double this season and the ninth of her career. 
    • It was the quickest double-double of her career, when she earned her 10th rebound at 11:28 total minutes followed by her 10th point at 13:05 total minutes.  
    • It marked her third 20 / 10 double-double of her  
  • It marked the third game this season and the third game of her career she has scored at least 20 points. 
    • It marked the ninth game this season and the 11th game of her career she has scored at least 15 points. 
    • It marked the 11th game this season and the 21st game of her career she has scored at least 10 points.  
  • She added two assists, two steals and a team-lead two blocks.  
    • It marked the seventh game this season and the 12th of her career she has had at least two steals.  
    • She has made at least two steals for five straight games.  
    • She has made at least two assists for three straight games.  
    • She has made at least two blocks for two straight games.  
• Maddie Scherr, a senior guard, had 14 points. 
  • It marked the seventh straight game she has scored at least 10 points. 
    • It marked the ninth game this season and the 30th game of her career she has scored at least 10 points. 
  • She knocked down one 3-pointer, which marked the sixth straight game she has made at least one 3-pointer. 
  • She added a season-high eight rebounds. 
  • She also added five assists, one steal and one block.  
    • It marked the sixth time this season and the 52nd time in her career she has dished out at least three assists. 
• Brooklynn Miles, a junior guard, earned a career-high 13 points. 
  • It marked the third game this season and the fourth game of her career that she has scored in double digits. 
  • She added a team-lead six assists, three steals and a rebound. 
    • It marked the 10th game this season and the 24th game of her career she has recorded three or more assists in a game.  
    • It marked the seventh game this season and in her career she has led Kentucky in assists. 
    • It marked the third game this season and the 11th game of her career she has recorded two or more steals in a game.