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Cincinnati, Ohio. ? Danyelle Payne scored a career-high 18 points, but it wasn?t enough as Kentucky fell for the first time in three games 60-52 to Cincinnati on Friday. Sara Potts hit double-digits with 10 points while Jenny Pfeiffer added 12.
The Wildcats (7-5) jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the game, but nine first-half turnovers and early foul trouble kept the Bearcats (8-5) in the game. UC made it to the line 11 times in the first stanza and controlled the Cats on the boards, outrebounding UK 22-14. Kentucky trailed by as many as 11 on two occasions and scored only one point during more than a seven-minute duration in the period. While the Bearcats had no problem getting off shots, UK managed to get only two players in the scoring column with more than two points in the first half and went into the break down nine, 30-21.
?Our offense was a little shaky in the first half but rebounding is what killed us tonight,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?We had some people get into foul trouble and that hurt us, but we just have to go back to work on our offensive execution.?
Cincinnati outrebounded UK 42-31, including 20 offensive rebounds. The Bearcats also went 20-of-28 from the charity stripe compared to the Cats? 9-of-12 for the game.
?We had a lackluster performance on the boards tonight,? DeMoss said. ?Free throws and rebounding (led to the loss). Rebounding is hard work, and you?ve got to bring it every single night.?
The Cats fell behind by as much as 12 (39-27) in the opening minutes of the second half, but clawed back using a full-court press. UK went on a 9-0 run over the next five minutes, pulling within three points, 39-36, with 13 minutes remaining in the game. The Bearcats answered the rally, however, with back-to-back three-pointers from Treasure Humphries. The Cats continued to fight as Danyelle Payne kept UK within two on a three-point play, 50-48, at the 5:49 mark. That was as close as the Cats would get as UC hit 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute for the victory.
UK held UC leading scorer Valerie King, who was averaging 17.4 points a game, to just seven points on the night but the Bearcats used a balanced scoring attack. They were led by Micah Harvey?s 15 points. Karen Twehues joined Harvey in double figures with 10 and Debbie Merrill led UC on the boards with 13 rebounds.
UK still holds the all-time series with UC, 17-6, including a 5-5 mark in the River City.
The Cats return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 6 to face their final non-conference foe in High Point. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum.
