No. 25 Kentucky Holds Off Washington State, 73-68
PULLMAN, Wash. – The 25th-ranked Kentucky women’s basketball team used a 20-3 run to turn a 10-point deficit into a seven-point lead, as the Wildcats won 73-68 at Washington State on Sunday.
Junior Maci Morris led Kentucky (4-0) with a season-high 20 points, marking her fourth straight double-figure scoring effort to begin the season. Senior Makenzie Cann had 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the game, while junior Taylor Murray had 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Cats.
Kentucky dominated the glass, collecting 48 rebounds to just 32 for Washington State. The Wildcats also had a big advantage in fast break points, outscoring the Cougars 14-4 in that category.
The Wildcats hit 27 of 65 (41.5 percent) from the floor and 12 of 15 (80 percent) from the free throw line.
Trailing 32-22 with 3:11 to go in the second quarter, Kentucky caught fire from the field, led by a pair of three-pointers by Cann and six points from Alyssa Rice. When the run was over, Kentucky led 42-35 with 7:48 left in the third period.
Washington State would cut the lead to one at 44-43 before another Kentucky run, this one a 12-1 stretch, that extended UK’s lead to 56-46. Kentucky would lead 56-48 at the end of the third period.
In the fourth quarter, it was Washington State with a big run, a 14-4 stretch, that gave WSU a 62-60 edge. The Cougars led 68-66 with 2:27 to go, but Kentucky closed the game on yet another run, a 7-0 spurt, that provided the final margin of victory. The final five points of the game were scored as Kentucky made five of six free throws in the closing 1:06 of the contest.
Kentucky returns to action on Wednesday, hosting Morehead State at Memorial Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network+.
