UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
NO. 10 KENTUCKY VS. NO. 8 TEXAS A&M
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021
REED ARENA – COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
 
No. 10 Kentucky 60, No. 8 Texas A&M 77 – FINAL
 
Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 9-2, 2-1 in the SEC on the year, while Texas A&M is 11-0 and 2-0 in the SEC.
  • In the last eight days, UK has played No. 10 Arkansas at home, at No. 12 Mississippi State and then at No. 8 TAMU.
  • During that same stretch, the Aggies earned a 25-point win at unranked Florida and then hosted the Wildcats.
• This was the 12th all-time meeting between Kentucky and Texas A&M in women’s basketball. This was the 10th meeting between the two teams with both ranked in the AP Top 25 and the second with both in the top 10.
  • Texas A&M leads the all-time series 7-5.
  • The series is tied 3-3 in games played in College Station.
• Kyra Elzy is in her first season as interim head coach at Kentucky.
  • Elzy is now 9-2 as head coach of Kentucky. 
• UK is now 854-550 all-time in its 47th year of varsity women’s basketball.
• This was Kentucky’s fourth true road game of the year – three of which against top-25 ranked teams – sitting 2-2 on the road.
• Kentucky is ranked No. 10 in the latest AP Top 25 and No. 8 in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25.
  • UK is 3-2 this season against ranked teams, defeating then-No. 13 Indiana, No. 12 Mississippi State and No. 10 Arkansas.
• The Wildcats will return to action Sunday at 5 p.m. ET against No. 5 Texas A&M inside Memorial Coliseum.
• The reschedule last Sunday makes UK’s start to league play even tougher than originally thought as now the Wildcats will start the league slate with back-to-back-to-back-to-back games against the only four teams in the league that are currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
  • It will be the first time in program history that UK has played four straight games against top-15 ranked foes.

 
Team Notes

• Kentucky used the starting combination of senior guard Chasity Patterson, senior forward KeKe McKinney, junior guards Blair Green and Rhyne Howard, and sophomore forward Dre’una Edwards.
  • This was the eighth time this season that UK has used this starting combination. UK is 6-2 with this starting combination.
  • KeKe McKinney scored first for Kentucky in the game – the first time this season she has been the first Wildcat to score.
  • Olivia Owens, Robyn Benton and Jazmine Massengill were the first subs for Kentucky.
    • It was the team-leading seventh time Benton has been the first sub, fifth time for Owens and the third time for Massengill.
  • Texas A&M won the tip, marking the eight time this season that UK has lost the opening tip.
• Kentucky started the game with back-to-back baskets and a 5-0 lead before TAMU’s Jordan Nixon scored five straight field goals to tie the game 11-11 at the first media timeout.
  • Nixon scored the first 11 TAMU’s points, going 5-of-5 from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3. Cierra Johnson broke Nixon’s streak with a layup after the media timeout.
  • As a team, Kentucky started 5-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3.
• The Wildcats led 21-18 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 4-0 run to end the period after a jumper by Howard, steal by Patterson and layup by Massengill.
  • UK was 9-of-16 from the field in the first 10 minutes, including 2-of-3 from long range.
  • Five different Wildcats scored in the first quarter.
  • Both teams had five turnovers in the first quarter while TAMU turned it into nine points and UK turned it into seven points.
  • Kentucky had 10 bench points in the first quarter while TAMU had none.
• Both team’s slowed down offensively in the second quarter with the Aggies outscoring Kentucky 13-10 to tie the game 31-31 at the break.
  • Kentucky had a seven-point lead at 20-27 in the second quarter but the Aggies ended the quarter by outscoring UK 11-4.
  • UK was 5-of-15 from the field and 0-of-4 from 3 in the second quarter.
  • TAMU was just 4-of-14 but went 5-of-6 from the free-throw line in the second quarter alone.
  • At halftime, the Aggies had a 13-9 edge in points off turnovers and 21-17 edge in rebounds.
  • Kentucky had a 14-12 edge in points in the paint in the first half.
  • TAMU’s 31 first-half points was its second fewest in the first half this season. Rice held the Aggies to 24 first-half points in December.
• Texas A&M jumped out to a six-point lead midway through the third quarter thanks to a 6-0 run, but Kentucky responded with a 8-0 run to take back it lead.
  • It was a baseline jumper by Wyatt to end the TAMU run, followed by a 3 by Howard and then a great offensive drive by Howard and kick to McKinney for a 3.
  • TAMU answered Kentucky’s 8-0 run with a 8-0 run of their own to take a 53-47 lead into the fourth quarter.
  • Kentucky did not score the final 4:37 of the third quarter.
• The TAMU run continued into the fourth quarter with the Aggies hitting a 3-pointer and three free-throws to extend the lead to 59-47 with 8:38 left in the game.
  • The total run was 14-0, keeping Kentucky from scoring for 7:17. The run was broke when Blair Green hit a jumper at 7:20 to go.
• The Wildcats found some momentum in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late as the Aggies held on for the win.
• This is was the first time this season that UK did not have three or more players score in double figures.
• Kentucky scored a season-low 29 second-half points. The previous was 34 against Murray State in the first game of the year.
• UK was called for 20 fouls in the game and attempted seven free throws, while TAMU was called for nine fouls and went 18-of-19 from the charity stripe.

 
Player Notes

• Junior guard Rhyne Howard scored a 22 points, going 10-of-17 from the field and 1-of-5 from 3 with six rebounds, five assists and two steals.  

  • Howard has made 182 career 3s, which ranks fourth most in school history.
  • Howard has 1,330 career points as a Wildcat, which ranks her 20th all-time in scoring at UK.
    • She needs 9 points to tie Belitta Croley for 19th all-time.
  • In 68 career games, Howard has …
    • Hit at least one 3 in 61 career games, including eight times this season.
    • Scored 10+ points in 60 career games, including eight times this season.
    • Scored 15+ points in 49 career games, including six times this season.
    • Scored 20+ points in 35 career games, including four this season.
    • Led UK in assists in 22 career games, including six times this season.
    • Led UK in scoring in 42 career games, including four times this season.
• Senior forward KeKe McKinney scored 12 points with five rebounds in the game.
  • McKinney went 2-of-4 from 3 in the game.
  • She has scored 10+ points four times this season.  
  • This is the first time in her career that she has scored 10+ in three straight games.