Feb. 24, 2000
OXFORD, Miss. — Senior guard Natalie Martinez drained a career-high five three-pointers for 15 points to lead the Kentucky women’s basketball team over Ole Miss, 59-57, in its last regular season road game.
Senior guard Tiffany Wait and junior forward Laura Meadows followed with 13 points apiece. Sophomore forward LaTonya McDole pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for her second straight game with double-figure rebounds. Meadows became the 21st Wildcat to record 1,000 points in a career.
Kentucky (14-12, 5-8), who hadn’t won in Oxford, Miss., in nine years, won the battle of the boards 43-31 and shot 57.9 percent from the floor in the second half to inch back after a 26-25 deficit at the half. UK led by eight with 29 seconds remaining in the game when the relentless Lady Rebels fought back to within 59-57 with three seconds to go. The Cats held on to win their second straight game and first win in Oxford since 1991.
“We took control of the game in the second half and made some crucial jumpers at the end,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “Natalie shot with a lot of confidence and Laura made some shots down the stretch. After winning our last two games, I think this is a momentum shift for us.”
The Lady Rebels (11-15, 0-13) jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the first half but thanks to the sharp shooting of Martinez, the Wildcats inched back within 26-25 at the intermission. Martinez nailed three three-pointers to lead UK with nine points in the first 20 minutes of action. Senior guard Erica Jackson tied her season-high assists, dishing out seven in the first half. She ended the night with a new season-high of eight.
“Ole Miss is a team that won’t quit,” Mattox said. “They just keep coming at you and coming at you. They are a good team.” Three Lady Rebels scored in double-digits as Chandra Dorsey and Frankie Boyd led with 12 points each. Becky Myatt followed with 11 points.
Kentucky plays host to its final regular season game on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum versus nationally-ranked Mississippi State. UK will recognize five Wildcat seniors during Senior Day ceremonies prior to the game.
