LEXINGTON, Ky. – Senior forward/center Jennifer Humphrey (Memphis, Tenn.) recorded her second consecutive double-double but it wouldn’t be enough, however, as Mississippi State out-scored the Kentucky women’s basketball team 8-0 in the second overtime to notch an 83-75 double-overtime win in Rupp Arena Thursday.
Kentucky (14-7, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) was playing its second overtime game this season and its fifth game in the last six decided in the waning minutes. Humphrey notched a career-high 22 points to complement 16 rebounds and in a career-high 43 minutes of action. The Wildcats managed just 39.2 percent (29-of-74) from the floor and were a mere 2-of-20 from long distance.
“I thought Mississippi State played well, executed well, particularly in the first half,” UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. “I thought we made a little run there in the second half but couldn’t sustain it to close out the game. We just got beat on that out-of-bounds play. I am just disappointed. It’s a disappointing loss for us. We just came up short.”
Junior guard Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) became the 25th member of UK’s 1,000 point club. Mahoney had 12 points to improve her career total to 1,010 in a career-best 48 minutes, while sophomore point guard Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) added 13 points in a career-high 42 minutes.
The two teams were nearly even in every statistical category and were tied after every period until the Bulldogs outscored the Wildcats 8-0 in the second overtime. Kentucky drops to 4-3 all-time in double-overtime, playing its first 2OT contest since the semifinals of the 2005 Women’s National Invitation Tournament against West Virginia.
With the Wildcats trailing 66-64 after an Imesia Jackson basket, Mahoney scored consecutive buckets – her last jumper coming with 27.8 seconds remaining in regulation. After Mississippi State nearly ran the game clock out, a scramble on the floor led to a jump ball with the arrow pointing toward the Lady Bulldogs. Off an inbounds play, Bethany Washington found the basket with 0.2 seconds left to send the game into overtime at 68 apiece.
“We were up two, we got a good stop down there at the end of regulation, they tied the ball up on the rebound and had the inbounds play defended well. They just made a random cut to the basket,” DeMoss said. “I thought we played well enough at the end of regulation to win the game. In the second overtime we didn’t even score. The shots didn’t fall, we got open shots on the perimeter, just couldn’t knock them down and they did.”
Kentucky fell behind by three, 71-68, with 4:18 remaining in the first overtime period before tying the score at 71 with 3:48 left. After another tie, Washington’s jumper with 1:01 left put the Lady Bulldogs ahead 75-73. Elliott notched a jumper in the paint with 44 seconds left to send the game into a second overtime.
Out of halftime, the Wildcats stormed out of the halftime locker room with four consecutive baskets to go up 43-36 with 16:46 left, as Kentucky held the Lady Bulldogs scoreless for the first 4:28 of the second half. Elliott had four points during that stretch. After Mississippi State came within two, 43-41, at the 15-minute mark, Ormerod nailed a basket and Humphrey knocked down a pair of free throws to go back ahead by six, 47-41, with 14:06 remaining. With UK leading 43-41, the Wildcats used an 11-2 run to take a 54-43 advantage with 10:17 left in the game. The run included six points from Humphrey.
The Lady Bulldogs knocked down four consecutive free throws to come as close as five, 59-54, with 6:12 remaining before a three-point play by Ormerod pushed the UK lead out to 61-54. Mississippi State would not give up, going on an 8-0 run over the next 2:19 to tie the score at 62-all.
Mississippi State took an early 8-4 lead and extended their advantage to 15-10 on a three-pointer by Alexis Rack at the 12:35 mark of the opening period. From there, Kentucky scored five consecutive points to knot the score at 15 after a three by Mahoney and a jumper by Ormerod at the 11:49 mark.
MSU extended its advantage to 23-19, but Pfeiffer was fouled shooting a three-pointer and knocked down each of her three free-throws to bring the Cats within one, 23-22, with 6:06 left. Kentucky then used a 12-3 run over the next 3:45 that included five points from Watkins. The two teams entered intermission tied at 36 as the Lady Bulldogs shot 53.6 percent (31-of-78) from the floor in the opening period.
Jackson led Mississippi State with 22 points, while Robin Porter added 18.
Kentucky returns to action Sunday when it travels to Columbia, S.C., for a re-match with the South Carolina Gamecocks. UK defeated USC earlier in the season in Memorial Coliseum, 59-55. Tip-off in the Colonial Center is set for 3 p.m. EST and the game will be carried live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with Neil Price. Due to an overlap with the men’s game vs. Tennessee beginning at 1 p.m. EST, the women’s game will be carried live on WMJK-FM (105.5) in Lexington.
