Feb. 7, 2002
Oxford, Miss. – Sophomore SeSe Helm and senior LaTonya McDole led Kentucky with 20 points apiece, but it wouldn’t be enough to overcome Mississippi’s 21-of-24 free-throw shooting in Oxford on Thursday. The Lady Rebels defeated the Cats 76-66.
Kentucky (8-14, 1-9 Southeastern Conference) trailed 32-26 at the half after six ties in the opening stanza but came out on fire in the second half, going on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 34. UK even took a five-point lead, 39-34, with 17 minutes to go, but Ole Miss senior Von Kirk helped the Lady Rebels regain their composure, hitting one of her career-high five three-pointers. The Lady Rebels pulled ahead by as many as 14 points (76-62) in the second half for the win.
“Von (Kirk) is a senior for Ole Miss and she did what she is expected to do and that is hit key shots,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “I thought we came out with great energy and were doing the things we needed to do to win this game. They hit 21-of 24 free throws compared to our 6-of-9 and it’s hard to win when the game is that unbalanced.”
The Lady Rebels (11-12, 3-8 SEC) also held a 21-13 advantage on the boards leading into intermission and went on to outrebound the Cats 36-24.
UK outshot Ole Miss from the floor 48.3 percent to 46.3. Freshman Sara Potts was again on target from behind the arc, dropping in three three-pointers for the third straight game. She finished with nine while junior Rita Adams, who was held to only four points, charted a game-high eight assists and seven steals. McDole’s 20 points were a season-high.
Following Kirk’s 24-point performance was fellow senior Sherika Wright’s 18 points and freshman Carletta Brown’s 12 points. Senior Tashondrea Moton led the Lady Rebels on the boards with seven.
Ole Miss leads the all-time series with Kentucky 17-4, including a 9-2 advantage when playing in Oxford.
UK returns home for a rematch with No. 9 South Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. ET in Memorial Coliseum. The first 500 fans will receive a free UK Women’s Basketball Rally Towel.
