Senior Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) scored 21 of her team-high 25 points in the second half but it wouldn?t be enough, however, as the Kentucky women?s basketball team fell to intrastate rival Western Kentucky in overtime, 78-74, in Rupp Arena Friday.
UK (3-4) led by as many as five points, 67-62, with 2:22 remaining in regulation before WKU?s (6-2) Crystal Kelly hit three consecutive free throws to close the gap to 67-65. Kentucky had three scoring opportunities in the final minutes but Mahoney missed a layup with 37 seconds to go. Hope Brown of WKU grabbed the rebound and the Lady Toppers took a timeout to set up the final play. Out of the break, Brown missed a jumper with 13 ticks left but grabbed her own rebound and found teammate Charlotte Marshall on the block for the game-tying jumper as the shot clock appeared to expire. The bucket was allowed and the Cats had just three seconds to go the length of the floor. UK was unable to get a shot off, sending the game into the extra frame.
?The ball was there, they missed the shot, all we have to do is pick it up and throw the ball out,? Mitchell said. ?To me, that shot was not a factor in the game.?
In the overtime period, WKU went up by three early, 71-68, with 3:19 to play. Mahoney responded with a three-point play and tied the game at 71 apiece at the 2:59 mark. After a back-and-forth battle, Kentucky trailed just one point, 75-74, after a layup by senior center Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) with :36 seconds to go. WKU answered with a layup of its own with :19 seconds left and Kentucky had a chance to tie with a three-pointer. UK called a timeout to set up the play, trailing 77-74. Freshman sharp-shooter Carly Morrow (Chattanooga, Tenn.) attempted a trey from the right corner with :05 seconds to go but Kelly, standing a 6-3, stepped out and tipped the shot and Lady Topper Amy McNear grabbed the defensive rebound. UK fouled McNear on the rebound and WKU went on to win, 78-74.
?That was an extremely disappointing and frustrating game,? UK Coach Matthew Mitchell. ?In the second half we starting playing better, we had control of the game, and I thought we just lost a few hustle plays there at the end. I am very, very disappointed at the result.?
The teams, who hadn?t met since 2003, played a see-saw affair that saw the score knotted 11 times with eight lead changes. UK finished the game, shooting 43.8 percent, including the same mark in the second half. The Cats hit just 12.5 percent from the three-point line on 1-of-8 shooting. WKU hit 47.6 percent from the floor and nearly 38.5 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-13). UK connected on 17-of-26 from the free throw line while WKU went 13-of-18. The Lady Toppers hit 3-of-4 in extra minutes while UK was 3-of-5.
Mahoney led UK with 25 points and five assists followed by Elliott and sophomore guard Amani Franklin (Decatur, Ga.) with 12 apiece. Franklin?s 12 points were a season high. Freshman forward Victoria Dunlap (Nashville, Tenn.) pulled down a team-high nine rebounds while adding eight points. Elliott also charted a game-high four blocks and needs just two more to tie the school record for blocks in a career held by Valerie Still (156). Junior Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.), who played against former high school teammate Kelly for the first time in her collegiate career, finished with nine points, five boards and two assists.
Kentucky trailed 38-30 in the first half and shot just 44.4 percent compared to WKU?s 57.1. Mahoney had four points in the opening stanza. Franklin and Elliott led at the half with six points each.
?We were very lethargic in the first half, so I thought our team did a better job in the second half and played some better defense and disrupted them,? Mitchell said. ?It was a good swing, it was just a commitment by our players to play better in the second half.?
UK now leads the all-time series 15-13, including a 9-7 lead in Lexington.
UK is 19-9 all-time in Rupp Arena and now owns a 19-22 all-time record in overtime, including a 2-2 mark vs. WKU. UK has now lost four straight overtime contests, including three straight in Rupp Arena.
The Wildcats remain at home for their next matchup but return to Memorial Coliseum for a game with William & Mary on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. ET.
