UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
NO. 11 KENTUCKY VS. NO. 12 TEXAS A&M
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16
MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
No. 11 Kentucky 76, Texas A&M 54 – FINAL
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky is 15-2 (4-1 SEC), while Texas A&M is 14-3 (2-2 SEC).
- Kentucky is 838-542 all-time, including 457-157 inside Memorial Coliseum.
- UK is 170-31 all-time in Memorial Coliseum under Matthew Mitchell, including 9-0 this season.
- This was the 11th all-time meeting between Kentucky and Texas A&M in women’s basketball.
- The Aggies lead the all-time series in games played 6-5, including a 3-2 mark in games played in Lexington. This snapped a three-game home losing streak to TAMU for Kentucky.
- Matthew Mitchell is in his 13th season as the head coach of the Wildcats.
- Mitchell is 326-156 overall in his career and 296-127 during his tenure at Kentucky.
- Kentucky is ranked 11 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and No. 11 in the latest USA Today/Coaches Top 25.
- UK has 53 wins against ranked foes under Matthew Mitchell, including a 2-2 mark this season.
- Thursday’s win was UK’s first over a top-12 ranked team since defeating No. 11 Texas A&M on Feb. 28, 2016 in College Station.
Team Notes
- Kentucky used the starting combination of sophomore guard Rhyne Howard, senior guards Sabrina Haines and Jaida Roper, junior forward Tatyana Wyatt and sophomore guard Blair Green.
- This was the third time this season that UK has used this starting combination, sitting 3-0.
- UK lost the tip for the eighth time this season.
- Sophomore guard Blair Green scored first for Kentucky, marking the first time she has been the first to score this season.
- Junior forward KeKe McKinney is still listed day-to-day with a severe migraine-like headache.
- The Wildcats jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the game but after Sabrina Haines hit a jumper with 5:47 to go in the first quarter, UK went 1-of-9 from the field scoring just five points. TAMU went on a 6-0 run after the Haines jumper to take a 11-9 lead. Roper hit a 3-pointer late to put UK back on top but TAMU hit a layup towards the end of the period to take a 13-12 lead into the second quarter.
- Kentucky outscored Texas A&M 21-8 in the second quarter, including ending the stanza on a 8-0 run.
- UK went 8-of-15 from the field in the second quarter, including 5-of-7 from 3.
- Blair Green scored six points in the quarter hitting two big 3s.
- The Aggies were 2-of-11 from the field in the second quarter and had six turnovers.
- The Wildcats scored eight points off turnovers in the second quarter alone.
- Six of UK’s eight fast-break points came in the second quarter.
- TAMU missed each of its last five shots and was held scoreless for the final 3:39 of the period.
- The Wildcats held Texas A&M to 21 first-half points which was the Aggies fewest point total in the first half this season. The previous low was 30 against Georgia Tech.
- UK is 4-1 this season and 2-1 in league play when it trails at the half.
- This was the third time this season that TAMU has trailed at the break, sitting 1-2 in those games.
- The Aggies outscored the Wildcats in the third quarter 19-16 as Kentucky hit one of its last seven field goal attempts.
- Kentucky outscored Texas A&M 27-14 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
- The Wildcats went 10-of-12 from the field in the fourth quarter, including 5-of-6 from 3.
- Texas A&M’s 54 points in the game tied its fewest point total of the season.
- UK scored 23 points off Texas A&M turnovers, marking the 14th time this season UK has scored 20 or more points off opponent turnovers.
- Kentucky hit 11 3-pointers in the game, marking the ninth time this season UK has hit 10 or more 3s in a game. The Wildcats are 8-1 in those games.
- UK limited Texas A&M to just 37.3 percent from the field, while the Wildcats went 28-of-57 for 49 percent.
- UK is 10-0 this season when it shoots a higher percentage than its opponent and 15-0 when an opponent shoots worse than 50 percent from the field.
- The Aggies entered the game averaging 43.6 rebounds per game with a +11.9-rebounding margin but the Wildcats out rebounded TAMU 33-29.
- This is the second game in a row that the Wildcats have won the rebounding margin.
- Kentucky has now won back-to-back SEC games by 20+ points for the first time since 2012-13 when UK did it three times against Missouri, Mississippi State and Auburn in mid-January.
- The Wildcats went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in the game.
Player Notes
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Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard scored a game-high 24 points adding 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
- This was the third double-double of the season for Howard and the eighth of her career.
- Howard has scored 20 or more points in seven straight game, the longest streak since Maci Morris scored 20+ in seven straight games in 2017-18.
- Howard has scored in double figures in every game but one this season, including 20 or more points in 12 games.
- Howard has 930 career points needing just 70 more to join the 1,000-point club. She is on pace to be the second fastest to 1,000 in program history.
- In 49, career game Howard has recorded some impressive numbers:
- Hit at least one 3 in 43 career games
- Made three or more 3s in 21 games
- Made five or more 3s in 9 games
- Scored 10+ points in 42 games
- Scored 15+ points in 34 games
- Scored 20+ points in 22 games
- Scored 25+ points in 13 games
- Scored 30+ points in 3 games
- Led UK in scoring in 30 games
- Led UK in rebounding in 27 games
- Senior guard Sabrina Haines scored 15 points in the game, going 5-of-8 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3 and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
- Haines has scored 10 or more points in 11 games this season.
- Haines went 3-of-5 from long range in the game and has a 3 in every game but two.
- Haines has hit three or more 3s in seven games.
- Sophomore guard Blair Green tied a career high with 13 points in the game, going 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3.
- Green had eight points in the first half, including two huge 3s in the second quarter.
- Junior guard Chasity Patterson scored nine points in the game with a 3-pointer.
- Senior center Nae Nae Cole came off the bench to play 22 huge minutes for the Wildcats, scoring four points with two rebounds, a steal and a block.
- The 22 minutes is a career high for Cole.
