Wildcats collect 30 points off 29 WKU turnovers.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 1, 1999) — The University of Kentuckywomen’s basketball team used a balanced scoringattack to crush the injury-depleted WesternKentucky Lady Toppers 75-48 on Wednesdaynight at Memorial Coliseum. Sophomore forwardLaTonya McDole led the Cats with 15 points andpulled down eight rebounds.
Kentucky (3-2) took advantage of 16 first-halfWKU turnovers to build a 20-point halftime lead.The Lady Toppers committed 29 turnovers in thegame that led to 30 UK points. Erica Jackson ledthe Cats with four steals.
The Lady Toppers (2-2) were led on the eveningby junior ShaRae Mansfield who dropped in acareer-high 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting.Mansfield has notched more than 20 points in eachof Western’s games this season.
“We needed this game coming off last week,” UKCoach Bernadette Mattox said. “WesternKentucky is always tough and as the years go bythey are going to get better. They will always be ourin-state rivals. We always want the challenge.”
The game was close for the first 6:30 after bucketsby WKU’s Kenosha Chastang and Mansfieldbrought the Toppers within one (10-9). After a 30second timeout by UK, the Cats went on a 22-3run over the next 7:30 to open up a 20-pointcushion. Pacing the Cats during that stretch wassenior guard Natalie Martinez who hit a pair ofthree-pointers on her way to 11 points for thegame.
After establishing a halftime lead of 42-22 on a 47-percent shooting effort,the Cats cooled down to start the second-half and allowed the LadyToppers to get back in the game. WKU got the UK lead down to 13 with8:42 remaining on the strength of eight early points by Mansfield. But behindstrong interior work by McDole and junior forward Laura Meadows, theCats re-established themselves and continued to wear down the LadyToppers.
“It’s a shame that you get an opportunity to have a war and you don’t get upfor it. I thought maybe we were ready tonight but we weren’t,” WKU CoachSteve Small said. “I think Bernadette’s program is ready for the SEC finallyand the SEC is good basketball. Kentucky was very, very good and they arean excellent basketball team.”
In addition to McDole’s 15 and the 11 by Martinez, two other Wildcatsbroke out for double-digits as senior center Shantia Owens and Meadowseach contributed 11 points. UK sophomore forward Tanesha Seaton tiedher career-high with 11 rebounds.
Kentucky’s win marks the fifth straight win over an instate school, the thirdagainst the Lady Toppers.
The Cats will now embark on a four-game road trip that includes NewMexico on Monday, Dec. 6, Liberty on Saturday, Dec. 11, 1999 NCAAChampion Purdue on Saturday, Dec. 18 and Cincinnati on Wednesday,Dec. 22. UK will tip-off against the Lobos in Albuquerque, N.M. at 9 p.m.ET.
