DULUTH, Ga. ? Kentucky shot 85.2 percent (23-of-27) from the free-throw line, connecting on 5-of-6 charity shots in the final 42 seconds, and out-rebounded Georgia Tech 46-33 to defeat the Yellow Jackets, 66-62, in the Russell Athletic Shootout at the Gwinnett Center.
The Wildcats (13-3), who won their fourth consecutive game, overcame a four-point halftime deficit with a tenacious performance on the glass. UK out-scored the Yellow Jackets 19-9 in second-chance points.
Senior forward/center Jennifer Humphrey (Memphis) scored a game-high 14 points on a season-best 7-of-8 shooting, brought down a team-high eight rebounds and tied a career-high with four assists to lead the Cats. Sophomore forward/center Eleia Roddy (Columbus, Ohio) added 13 points and connected on 7-of-9 free-throws.
?I thought we played with a lot of poise down stretch today,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?Georgia Tech is a very quick and talented team. If I had to pick two things that won the game, I think rebounding and free-throws were really the key.?
The Wildcats trailed the Yellow Jackets (11-5) 55-54 with just over five minutes remaining in a back-and-forth game, but went on a 5-0 run to go ahead 59-55 with 4:04 left in the game. Georgia Tech came as close as one point (61-60), but the Wildcats were solid from the charity stripe in the game?s final minutes.
Sophomore guard Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) was the third UK player to score in double figures with 10 points and 5-of-6 free-throws to complement a career-high three blocks. Freshman point guard Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) added nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and came up with five rebounds.
Kentucky trailed 30-26 at halftime but came out of the locker room with a renewed energy. The Cats quickly tied the score at 31 on a basket by Humphrey at the 17:45 mark of the final period. Trailing 36-35, Ormerod forced a steal at mid-court and converted on a three-point play with 16:27 to go ahead 38-36.
After three more ties, the Wildcats went in front 45-44 on a free-throw by sophomore center Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) with 12:03 remaining. Elliott finished the game with nine points. Georgia Tech tied the score at 46 on a basket by Janie Mitchell to spark a 7-0 run by the Yellow Jackets and again give them the lead at 51-46 with 9:47 left in the game.
With UK behind 51-46, the Wildcats engineered a 6-2 run, backed by four points from Roddy to cut their deficit to one, 53-52, at the 7:29 mark of the game. A basket by Roddy and a three-point play by junior guard Jenny Pfeiffer (North Vernon, Ind.) with 4:47 left put UK in front 57-55. A driving lay-up by Ormerod on the right baseline gave Kentucky a four-point, 61-57, advantage at the 3:22 mark. Georgia Tech cut UK?s lead to four, 61-60, on a basket by Jill Ingram before Pfeiffer was hammered to the ground and converted on a pair of charity shots with 41.5 seconds remaining
The Wildcats shot just 33.3 percent (10-of-30) from the field in the opening period and made only one three-pointer (1-of-7) in the game.
Kentucky returns to action Thursday when it returns home to face SEC foe Auburn. Tip-off in Rupp Arena is set for 7 p.m. EST and the game will be carried live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio and television).
Single-game tickets are available in the ticket office in Memorial Coliseum for all 15 home games, including four contests in Rupp Arena (Louisville, Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama). Single-game general admission tickets are available for $5 adults/$2 senior citizens and children ages 18 and under. UK students, faculty and staff are admitted free with valid identification based on availability. For ticket information, log on to ukathletics.com or call the UK ticket office at 859-257-1818 or 1-800-928-CATS (2287).
