UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
NO. 18 KENTUCKY VS. FLORIDA
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2021
EXACTECH ARENA – GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
No. 18 Kentucky 88, Florida 80 – FINAL
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky is 15-5 on the season and 8-4 in the SEC, while Florida is 10-9, 3-8 in the league.
- This was the 59th all-time meeting between Kentucky and Florida in women’s basketball.
- Kentucky leads the all-time series in games played, 33-26.
- UK holds a 13-10 mark in the series in games played in Gainesville.
- Kyra Elzy is in her first season as head coach at Kentucky.
- Elzy is now 15-5 as head coach of Kentucky.
- UK is now 860-553 all-time in its 47th year of varsity women’s basketball.
- Kentucky is ranked No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 and No. 18 in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25.
- The Wildcats will return to action Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. ET vs. LSU inside Memorial Coliseum.
- The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ and broadcast on the UK Sports Network.
- The game will be UK’s annual Play4Kay Pink Game.
Team Notes
- Kentucky used the starting combination of senior guard Chasity Patterson, senior forwards Tatyana Wyatt and KeKe McKinney and junior guards Jazmine Massengill and Rhyne Howard.
- This was the second time this season that UK has used this starting combination, holding a 2-0 record in those games.
- Chasity Patterson scored first for Kentucky in the game – the fifth time this season she has been the first Wildcat to score.
- Robyn Benton was the first sub for Kentucky.
- It was the team-leading 12th time Benton has been the first sub for the Wildcats.
- Kentucky won the tip, marking the sixth time this season that UK has lost the opening tip.
- It was the second opening-tip won by Tatyana Wyatt.
- Kentucky started the game with back-to-back 3s to take an early 6-0 lead, but the Gators battled back and the game was tied 13-13 at the first media timeout in the first quarter.
- UK hit three of its first four 3-pointers in the first 5:35 of the game.
- At the end of the first quarter, both teams were shooting over 50 percent from the field with UK 9-of-18 from the field and UF 9-of-17.
- Kentucky had six first-quarter assists and three blocks.
- Florida had 12 paint points and held a 6-0 edge in second-chance points.
- Kentucky’s 21 first-quarter points was its most in the first quarter since 22 at Auburn at Jan. 21.
- Florida started the second quarter by hitting back-to-back 3s and went on a 10-2 run to take a 29-23 lead at the 7:44 mark and force a UK timeout.
- UK ended the second quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 47-42 lead into the break at halftime. The 47 points were the most the Wildcats have scored in the first half of game since scoring 48 against Wofford back in December.
- The 47 points is the most points that Kentucky has scored in the first half of an SEC road game since Jan. 2, 2014 at Alabama (50).
- Florida’s 42 points marked the sixth time they have scored 40 or more in the first half and the first since scoring 44 vs. Arkansas earlier this season.
- Florida had four turnovers in the final 2:32 of the first half to allow UK to go on its run.
- Kentucky shot 55.3 percent from the field in the first half, going 5-of-11 from 3. Florida shot 53.3 percent from the field and also hit five 3s.
- Two Wildcats were in double figures in the first half with Howard leading with 12 points and six rebounds, while Patterson had 10 points and hit two 3s.
- Massengill had six assists in the first half.
- Florida held a 13-2 edge in second-chance points in the first half, but Kentucky had a 20-18 edge in paint points.
- Kentucky continued its run at the start of the third quarter, extending it to 21-3 and grabbing a double-digit lead.
- UK went 8-of-15 from the field in the third quarter and 2-of-3 from 3.
- UK’s biggest lead was 16 at the 3:36 mark of the third quarter but the Gators would answer by ending the quarter on a 7-2 run to close it to 70-59 heading into the fourth.
- The run continued for Florida to start the fourth quarter, spreading to 18-5 and cutting the UK lead to 73-70 with 6:45 to go.
- Kentucky responded, ending the game by making five of its last seven field goals and ending the game on a 13-8 run.
- The Wildcats won the battle in the paint, 40-32.
- This is the second time UK has won the paint points in league play. The other was against Alabama.
- UK’s 40 paint points was its most since scoring 56 against Wofford in non-conference action.
- UK is 13-2 and 7-1 in the league when it scores over 70 points this season.
- UK is 6-0 this season when it shoots 50 percent or better form the field.
- The 53.7 percent is the second best this season for Kentucky and its most in league action.
- The 88 points scored by Kentucky is the second most against Florida in Gainesville in school history (scored 89 on Feb. 20, 1982).
- The 88 points scored are Kentucky’s most against Florida since Mar. 4, 2016 (92)
- Kentucky shot 53.7% from the field tonight, its best shooting performance in an SEC game since Jan. 25, 2018 vs. Alabama (64.7%)
- It was also it’s best shooting performance in an SEC road game since Jan. 31, 2016 at Florida (58%)
Player Notes
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Junior guard Rhyne Howard scored a game-high 31 points, going 12-of-20 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3 with nine rebounds and two steals.
- Howard is the fourth player in school history to have at least six career 30-point games (Valerie Still, Leslie Nichols, Makayla Epps).
- Howard is the second player in school history to have at least three 30-point games in consecutive seasons (Valerie Still).
- Howard is the second player in school history to have at least five career 30-point games against SEC opponents (Valerie Still).
- Howard is the first player in school history to have three career 30-point games against SEC opponents on the road.
- Howard has made 196 career 3s, which ranks fourth most in school history.
- Howard has 1,493 career points as a Wildcat, which ranks her 11th all-time in scoring at UK.
- She needs 9 more points to tie Sara Potts for 10th all-time.
- In 76 career games, Howard has …
- Hit at least one 3 in 67 career games, including 14 games this season.
- Made three or more 3s in 34 career games, including eight games this season.
- Scored 10+ points in 67 career games, including 15 games this season.
- Scored 15+ points in 54 career games, including 11 games this season.
- Scored 20+ points in 39 career games, including eight games this season.
- Scored 25+ points in 21 career games, including three times this season.
- Scored 30+ points in six career games, including three times this season.
- Led UK in scoring in 47 career games, including nine times this season.
- Led UK in rebounding in 41 games career games, including 10 games this season.
- Senior guard Chasity Patterson scored 13 points, going 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3 with three steals.
- This was the 15th time this season Patterson has scored 10 or more points.
- She has hit three or more 3s in four games this season and six games in her career.
- Led UK in steals in 13 games this season, including 17 career games.
- Junior guard Jazmine Massengill neared a triple-double in the game with nine points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
- This was a season high in assists for Massengill.
- The seven rebounds were also a season high.
- She has nine or more points in back-to-back games.
- She played a season-high 33 minutes.
- This was the first time that Massengill has led UK In blocks.
- Senior forward KeKe McKinney scored a career-high tying 13 points in the game, adding four rebounds and a steal.
- The 13 points were a season high for McKinney.
- Senior forward Tatyana Wyatt scored eight points with five rebounds in the game.