Jan. 24, 2002
Lexington, Ky. –
Kentucky came out flat in the second half, falling to Louisiana State, 75-59, in Memorial Coliseum on Thursday. Sophomore Shambrica Jones came off the bench to lead the Wildcats with a career high 15 points and seven rebounds. Junior Rita Adams followed with 14.
The Cats (8-11, 1-6 Southeastern Conference) looked impressive in the first half, shooting 48.3 percent from the floor, thanks mostly to the hot hand of Jones. The 6-0 forward went 6-of-7 from the field, scoring 13 of her game-high 15 points in the first half.
LSU, receiving votes in the Associated Press Poll and ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, remained poised and took a four-point led at the half, 35-31, with help from its sharp shooting sophomore, Doneeka Hodges. The sophomore guard nailed 4-of-4 from three-point land in the opening stanza and finished the game leading four Lady Tigers in double-figures with 17 points. LSU hit a total of six three-pointers in the game while Kentucky hit 3-of-7.
“LSU’s three-point shooting hurt us tonight. They are not a team that turns the ball over either and they scored 18 points off our 20 turnovers,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “I thought we had an outstanding first half and we were letting the offense come to us. Shambrica (Jones) came out and got the open looks and really stepped up for us tonight.”
The Lady Tigers (11-6, 4-2 SEC) came out in the second half, going on a 19-7 run and exploding to a 72-53 lead, the largest margin of the game. The Cats would not be able to recover as time ran out.
“I thought we took too many quick shots in the second half,” Mattox said. “They were also putting three to four players around SeSe (Helm) all night and that just shows you what kind of player she is in this conference.”
Helm notched 10 points for her 19th straight game with double figures. She also pulled down seven rebounds while senior forward LaTonya McDole grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go along with her eight points.
“In the first half I thought we couldn’t get a rhythm going, however, Doneeka (Hodges) had an outstanding first half and that kept us in the game,” LSU Coach Sue Gunter said. “We tried to double SeSe and trap her down low tonight. We just wanted to contain her. I was amazed with the how SeSe’s range has improved. She is an outstanding player for Kentucky.”
Joining Hodges in double-figures was her twin sister Roneeka Hodges and junior center Aiysha Smith, with 16 points apiece. Sophomore guard Temeka Johnson added 13 points and a game-high eight assists. Smith pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
The Cats won the battle of the boards, outrebounding LSU 29-22. The Lady Tigers shot 54.7 percent from the floor while Kentucky shot 47.2 percent.
LSU extends its win streak over the Cats to four and leads the all-time series 16-7. The Cats are 4-6 against the Lady Tigers in Memorial Coliseum.
UK, who defeated Alabama on Jan. 6 in Tuscaloosa, will play host to the Crimson Tide on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. ET.
