Dec. 22, 1999
CINCINNATI, Ohio – Sophomore forward LaTonya McDole scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help lead the University of Kentucky women?s basketball team to a 68-62 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Senior center Shantia Owens recorded her second season and fourth career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Erica Jackson and junior Laura Meadows followed in the scoring column with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Meadows also grabbed nine rebounds.
The game remained tight in the first half with Kentucky (6-3) taking a 37-36 lead at the half after trailing by nine points with 12 minutes to go. Freshman Melissa Langelier came off the bench to spark the Cats with a long range three-pointer, giving UK its first lead, 21-20, at the 4:44 mark. Jackson led UK at the half with nine points.
A 9-2 run opened the second half as Kentucky jumped to a 46-38 lead before Cincinnati had seen enough. The Bearcats (5-4) would respond after a :30 second timeout, led by senior Madinah Slaise, who scored 15 of her season-high 32 points in the second half to pull Cincinnati back within two, 62-60. UC?s Laura Wilder nailed a layup with 1:13 to go, but time ran out and the Cats went on to victory.
“I?m very proud of our girls tonight,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “We played great defensive and stood our ground through a lot of adversity. They were a tough team, but we showed poise and patience and pulled through.”
Kentucky is 16-3 all-time versus UC, having won the last four meetings.
UK plays the first of four straight home games on Tuesday, Dec. 28 when it faces Tennessee-Martin at 7 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. UK has not played at home since defeating in-state rival Western Kentucky on Dec. 1.
NOTE: Kentucky guard Carolyn Alexander was taken to the Cincinnati University Medical Center in the first half after dislocating her ring finger on her right hand. She will be further evaluated at Lexington?s UK hospital.
