Kentucky-Arkansas Women's Basketball Postgame Notes

UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY AT ARKANSAS
THURSDAY, JAN. 25, 2024
BUD WALTON ARENA – FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.
 

Arkansas 88, Kentucky 61 – FINAL
 
Team Records and Series Notes 

• Kentucky is 9-11 overall and 2-4 in the Southeastern Conference in 2023-24, while Arkansas is 15-6 overall and 3-3 in the conference this season.
• The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 50th season.
  • UK has a 903-599 (.601) all-time record.
• Kyra Elzy is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 58-51 (.532) overall record.
  • She has a 21-32 overall record in the SEC.
• Kentucky remains the leader in the all-time series with Arkansas, 27-16, including 10-8 in Fayetteville.
  • The two teams split their home-and-home in 2023-24.
• Kentucky will play at Alabama at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. ET.
  • The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

Team Notes

• Kentucky used the starting combination Brooklynn Miles, Maddie Scherr, Saniah Tyler, Emma King and Ajae Petty for the second straight game and the fourth time this season.
  • • UK is 2-2 when using that starting combination.
  • The Wildcats lost the opening tip for just the sixth time this season.
  • Maddie Scherr was the first player to score for Kentucky.
  • Eniya Russell and Cassidy Rowe were the first substitutes off the bench for Kentucky.
• The Wildcats forced the Razorbacks into two 10-second backcourt violations in the game, marking the first game they have forced that violation all season.

How It Happened

• Arkansas went on an 18-0 run to begin the game. Kentucky scored its first points from Maddie Scherr’s layup at 3:05.
  • That sparked a 7-2 run for UK, making it 20-7, UofA, with two minutes left in the period.
  • The Razorbacks closed the period on a 9-3 run, including a 9-0 run.
  • Kentucky trailed Arkansas, 29-10, at the end of the first quarter.
    • UK had eight fouls in the period, compared to UofA’s two.
      • UofA went 8-of-8 from the line in the period.
    • The Razorbacks scored 16 points off the Wildcats’ seven turnovers in the period.
• Amiya Jenkins went on a 7-0 run herself to start the second quarter, getting within 12 points of the Backs (29-17).
  • However, UofA responded with a 10-0 run, including back-to-back 3-pointers, using more than three minutes of the clock in the middle of the period.
  • Scoring was balanced for the remaining four-and-a-half minutes.
  • Kentucky trailed Arkansas, 44-23, at halftime, as UofA narrowly outscored UK, 15-13, in the second quarter.
    • UK had 12 fouls in the first half, compared to UofA’s four.
      • Maddie Scherr had three fouls in the first half, while three others starters had two fouls in the first half.
    • Kentucky shot 34.5 percent (10-29) in the first half, while Arkansas shot 41.7 percent (15-36), including making five 3-pointers.
• Kentucky and Arkansas had back-and-forth scoring for the entire third quarter, with each team making a 6-0 run apiece in the period, as UK narrowly outscored UofA, 23-22.
  • Brooklynn Miles (6 points) and Eniya Russell (7 points) led UK in the third quarter, as UK’s offense also drew eight fouls in the period.
  • Kentucky trailed Arkansas, 66-46, at the end of the third quarter.
• The Wildcats 37.5 percent field-goal shooting and 2-of-8 free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter wasn’t enough to overcome a 20-point deficit.
  • Arkansas defeated Kentucky, 88-61.

Player Notes

• Eniya Russell, a senior guard, led Kentucky in scoring for the second straight game with 20 points.
  • She has led Kentucky in scoring in six games this season.
  • She has scored in double digits in 10 games this season and 14 games in her career.
    • She has scored at least 20 points in three games this season and in her career.
    • She is the first player to score at least 20 points in back-to-back games since Ajae Petty scored 22 points against both Samford (Dec. 31) and Arkansas (Jan. 4) this season.
  • She added seven rebounds, two assists and a block.
• Amiya Jenkins, a sophomore guard, added 11 points.
  • She has scored in double digits in four games this season and in her career.
  • She added five rebounds.
• Ajae Petty, a senior forward, led Kentucky in rebounding with 16.
  • She has led Kentucky in rebounding in 19 games this season.
  • She has rebounded in double digits in 12 games this season and 14 games in her career.
    • This game marked the first of her career she has had double-digit rebounding and not double-digit scoring paired with it.
  • She added six points, two assists and a steal.