Despite a dismal shooting performance from the field and 22 turnovers, the Kentucky women?s basketball team hit 25-of-40 from the free throw line to defeat Florida Atlantic, 61-53, on Sunday for the Wildcats? fifth consecutive victory in Memorial Coliseum. Senior guard Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) led all scorers with 19 points and four steals while freshman forward Victoria Dunlap (Nashville, Tenn.) pulled down a career- and team-high 13 rebounds.
Kentucky (2-1) managed to shoot a season-low 28.8 percent (17-of-59) in the game, including just 12.0 percent (3-of-25) in the second half. It marked the lowest field goal percentage for Kentucky since hitting 20.0 percent last season against Georgia in the SEC Tournament.
?Well, it is pretty clear to see that we didn?t play very well today,? UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. ?I am a pretty optimistic guy and the way that I am going to have to look at it is that we certainly could have lost that game. I don?t know that I have ever been in a game where you shoot under 30-percent and still win. We are clearly not shooting the ball very well, so we are going to have to focus on getting better at that. It certainly beats the alternative of losing the game, so we are happy to get the win.?
Florida Atlantic (1-2) jumped out to an early 11-4 lead in the game before Kentucky found its groove. The Wildcats responded with a 10-0 run to take a 14-11 lead with 13:43 remaining in the first half. UK eventually built a 15-point lead (35-30, its largest lead of the game, with 2:31 left in the first stanza and took a 35-20 lead into the break. UK shot 41.2 percent from the floor compared to FAU?s 26.7 percent in the opening half. The second half, however, would be a different story.
?We just got off to another really slow start in the second half,? Mitchell said. ?We talked about that obviously at halftime, about getting out and getting off to a good start. I don?t think they did anything particularly well to cause an adjustment, I just thought we really struggled, we were so hesitant – and we aren?t passing the ball very well which doesn?t allow us to get the ball into good scoring positions. I just think when you are playing hesitant offensively, it really puts pressure on you to do well.?
Kentucky shot a dismal 12.0 percent in the second half, hitting only three field goals. The Wildcats were saved at the foul line as they converted 25-of-40, including 20-of-33 in the second half. Mahoney and Dunlap, who did not attempt a free throw in the first half, hit 6-of-8 and 7-of-12, respectively from the charity stripe in the second half.
?That is what I was proud of our players for, is that we found a way to win that game,? Mitchell said. ?When Florida Atlantic, and give them a lot of credit for playing so hard, when they cut it to five I didn?t know where the offense was going to come from, and thank goodness we have a veteran leader, Sam Mahoney, just to go get us some baskets. We nailed some free throws there at the end and were able to pull it out.?
The Owls cut UK?s lead to five, 45-40, with 7:14 to go before Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) hit one of UK?s three second-half field goals to push the lead to seven. Mahoney hit the only other two field goals of the second half. After UK regained a nine-point lead with 4:24 to go, FAU pulled within six, 51-45, under the three-minute mark. Kentucky went on to hit 10-of-14 free throws in the final three minutes to hold on for the 61-53 win.
Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) and Chelsea Chowning (Lexington, Ky.) scored eight points each in the win. Chowning earned her first start at Kentucky while Elliott blocked two shots and is now just 12 shy of the school record for blocks in a career.
Florida Atlantic was led by Jaimie Givens and Carla Stubbs with 13 points apiece. Brittany Bowe followed with 12. Givens, the daughter of former Kentucky men?s basketball standout and 1978 Most Outstanding Player and UK Hall of Famer Jack Givens, also pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Jack Givens was in attendance for the game, wearing a blue t-shirt that read ??FAUofK? on the front.
?It felt really cool to see my dad in the stands,? Jaimie Givens said. ?But, more than just my dad was in the crowd. My mom?s family and my dad?s family were here. It was cool to look up and see all of my family up there with a lot of support.?
Kentucky won the battle of the boards 49-43 and outscored FAU 28-22 in the paint. Both teams had 20-plus turnovers as UK charted 22 miscues and the Owls 26.
The Wildcats hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday when they travel to Honolulu, Hawai?i for the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic. The Cat will face first-time opponent Minnesota in the first round on Nov. 23 at 9:30 p.m. EST and either Virginia or Texas in the following game on Nov. 24. Also participating in the tournament is UAB, Hartford, Hawai?i, and Lipscomb.
