LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The Kentucky women?s basketball team held Georgetown scoreless for nearly 13 minutes in the second half and outrebounded the Hoyas by 18 to post a 63-47 win Thursday in Memorial Coliseum. The Cats are 7-0 for the first time since the 1982-83 campaign.
The Wildcats (7-0) used two late first-half runs of 8-0 and 9-0 and held the Hoyas (4-3) without a field goal for nearly 13 minutes in the second half to pull away from a stingy Georgetown squad. Defense was the key for the Cats, who had to overcome a 36.9 percent (24-of-65) shooting effort from the floor. The Wildcats have not allowed an opponent to score over 58 points this season.
?I love our intensity,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?Every shot was contested. We didn?t give them too many open looks. We forced them to shoot over our hands and started switching screens and they (GU) didn?t take advantage of it. I am very, very pleased with our overall defensive effort.?
Kentucky out-rebounded the Hoyas 47-29 in the game and dominated the post game, out-scoring Georgetown 32-10 in points in the paint. The Cats were able to wear down the Hoyas, who dressed only seven players, out-scoring Georgetown 23-4 in bench points.
?They (Georgetown) were a little thin,? DeMoss said. ?They had some injuries and I think a player suspended, so they used a lot of four-guard sets. We didn?t want to sacrifice our size so we went with our normal lineup and challenged some of our post players to get out and guard on the perimeter. Offensively, we did not shoot the ball that well tonight. We have to get better at that. We only shot 30 percent in the second half. Our defense obviously kept us in the game and our rebounding was solid as well.?
Senior forward/center Jennifer Humphrey (Memphis) recorded her seventh career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and was one of four Kentucky players to register double-digit point totals. The Cats were led by sophomore guard Samantha Mahoney?s (Detroit) game-high 14 points. Junior guard Jenny Pfeiffer (North Vernon, Ind.) and sophomore center Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) each chipped in 12 points. Pfeiffer connected on 3-of-6 shots from beyond the arc and also made 3-of-3 free-throws. Elliott brought down nine rebounds and posted three blocks and freshman point guard Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) dished out a team-high five assists.
Both teams started slow to begin the game with five ties over the first six minutes of the contest. With Kentucky trailing 15-13 early in the first half, the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run over the next 4:17 to move ahead 22-15 on a jumper by sophomore forward/center Eleia Roddy (Columbus, Ohio). A resounding three-pointer by Pfeiffer extended the Cats lead to 25-19 with eight minutes remaining in the period. After the Hoyas cut UK?s advantage to 27-23, the Wildcats scored the final four baskets of the half, including a pair of lay-ups by Elliott to enter the locker room up 35-23.
The Cats shot 42.9 percent (15-of-35) from the floor in the opening period and 60 percent (3-of-5) from beyond the arc. UK limited Georgetown to just 35.5 percent (11-of-31) shooting in the opening half.
UK opened the second half just as it had closed the first, scoring the first two baskets of the final stanza, including a three-pointer by Mahoney at the 19:11 mark. Kentucky continued adding to its lead to move ahead 45-28 on a lay-up by Humphrey with 17:58 left in the game. After the Hoyas came within nine, 45-36, the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run over the next six minutes to extend their advantage to 57-36 at the 7:57 mark of the game.
The Cats held the Hoyas without a field goal for nearly 13 minutes midway through the final period, allowing Kentucky to distance itself from Georgetown. The Wildcats led by as many as 22 (61-39) on a pair of charity shots by Mahoney with 3:18 left in the game.
Kate Carlin and Heidloff led the Hoyas with 14 points each. Bethany Lesueur followed with 13.
The Wildcats? next game takes them to Detroit, the hometown of Chante? Bowman and Mahoney. UK will take on the Titans of Detroit-Mercy on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. EST.
