Feb. 8, 1998

LEXINGTON, Ky– Four University of Kentucky Wildcat players scored in double figures to lead the women’s basketball team over South Carolina 87-63 in Memorial Coliseum on Sunday.

Junior guard Tiffany Wait netted a career-high 27 points to lead all scorers, while forward Jaye Barnes scored in double figures for the sixth straight game with 20 points. Senior center Kim Denkins charted her 1,000th point as a Wildcat, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for her 17th career double-double. Freshman guard Laura Meadows chipped in 11 points and a career-high seven assists.

“I was pleased with the players’ confidence tonight,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “The young people are really stepping up. Kenya Young had 13 rebounds in 19 minutes. Stephanie Christman showed a lot of confidence in today’s game and Tiffany Wait played out of her mind.” Kentucky trailed early in the game 9-2 but was sparked by back-to-back three-pointers from Wait. The Cats took a 14-13 lead with 14:27 left in the first half and never trailed again. UK led 44-30 at the half and held an 18-point margin with 14:23 left in the game before USC made a run of its own.

The Lady Gamecocks (10-13, 2-10) inched their way back to within seven points (76-69) with 1:32 remaining. However, Kentucky held on, shooting its second best percentage from the floor all season, connecting on 31-of-57 field goals for 54.4 percent and 22-of-32 from the charity stripe.

UK outrebounded USC 44-37, as Greenville, S.C., native Young led the Wildcats with a career-high 13 rebounds. Substitute forward Katie Vieth a sophomore from Florence, Ky., left the game at the 14-minute mark in the first half after receiving a blow to mouth that required a trip to the emergency room. Vieth did not return to the game but is expected to return to action in UK’s next contest. The Wildcats’ (11-12, 4-7) victory marks the second consecutive SEC win in five days for Kentucky after defeating Auburn 53-48 on Wednesday. They will travel to Athens, Ga., on Wednesday, Feb. 11 to face No. 24 Georgia at 7:30 p.m.