Miami, Fla.. – Freshman Kristin Connolly nailed a three-pointer with :51 seconds remaining in the game to push the Kentucky women’s basketball team over Florida International, 60-58, in the Baptist Health Systems Fab Four Orange Bowl Classic on Sunday. Junior LaTonya McDole was named the Most Valuable Player of the game after scoring 10 of 11 points in the second half and grabbing a game-high eight rebounds.
The Cats (3-5) used a full-court press and in-your-face defense to pull back from an eight point deficit with 10 minutes remaining in thegame. The Cats shot an impressive 58.6 percent in the second half and a season-high 48.6 percent for the game. Freshman DasiekaHawthorne also helped in the comeback effort, notching 12 points and four rebounds. Connolly and sophomore Rita Adams ended thegame with nine points each while freshman Alvine Mendeng followed with eight.
“We’ve got a lot of freshmen playing, but we have players who can shot and who really stepped up tonight,” UK Coach BernadetteMattox said. “I thought we hustled and really got after it even when we were down in the second half. We made some good decisionsdown the stretch and kept our poise.”
UK led by as many as nine points in the first half, before the Golden Panthers held the Cats scoreless for seven minutes. FIU went on a12-0 run during UK’s scoring drought and eventually took a 28-23 lead at the half. Adams led the Cats at the intermission with sixpoints.
The Golden Panthers (5-2) were led by 6-8 center Silvia Mesa with 19 points and eight rebounds. UK was outrebounded 41-31, but theCats forced 21 FIU turnovers. FIU shot 37.7 percent from the floor and only 20 percent from behind the arc.
“We didn’t really have an answer for their big 6-8 center,” Mattox said. “So, we tried to break them down in other areas. We playedaggressive defense and caused them to rush their shots and turn the ball over.”
This was the first matchup between the two schools and UK now holds a 24-15 advantage over schools from the Sunshine State.
The Cats will scoot over to Coral Gables, Fla, to take on the Hurricanes of Miami on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. UK, who leads theall-time series with UM, hasn’t met the Canes since a 80-68 UK win in the NWIT in 1990.
