LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 20 Kentucky women’s basketball team improved to 5-0 inside Memorial Coliseum this season on Sunday afternoon with an 80-57 win over the Samford Bulldogs.

Balanced Scoring was the story for the Kentucky offense on Sunday as four players scored in double figures to push the Wildcats past the Bulldogs. Makayla Epps led all scorers in the game, scoring 20 points and adding in five rebounds and two assists. Epps was joined by Evelyn Akhator (15), Taylor Murray (15) and Makenzie Cann (12) as the four Wildcats to score in double figures. 

 

With Sunday’s result, Kentucky improves to 5-1 overall on the season. The Bulldogs fall to 2-4 on the year. Kentucky will be back in action on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET against the No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners inside Memorial Coliseum in Lexington. The game will be shown live on the SEC Network and is part of the Southeastern Conference/Big 12 Challenge. 

Kentucky had a strong start in the opening quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 22-12 in the opening frame without committing a turnover in the opening 10 minutes. The Wildcats shot 50 percent from the floor, going 8-for-16 and 5-of-7 from the free throw line, while the Bulldogs on the other hand were unable to get to the free throw line in the period. Kentucky had six different players score in the first quarter – a common theme to the day with four of five starters scoring in the game. 

UK would take a 41-17 lead into the locker room at halftime, outscoring the Bulldogs 19-5 in the quarter and again, shooting 50 percent from the floor, going 7-of-14. The Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 22-6 in the paint in the first half, had a 7-0 edge in fastbreak points, and also went to a 14-5 lead in bench points. 

Epps notched her second 20-point game of the season on Sunday afternoon – with her first coming in UK’s season opener against the No. 14 Miami Hurricanes on opening night in Memorial Coliseum. She has now scored in double figures in five of six games this season with Sunday marking the 66th time in her career she has gone on to score 10+ points in a game in her career in the Blue and White. 

Akhator had another solid game inside for the Wildcats, scoring 15 points and adding in 13 rebounds for her fifth double-double inside the first six games of the season. Akhator has scored in double figures in all six games this season. 

For the latest on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.