The Kentucky women?s basketball team hit a season-best 20-of-24 free throws and outrebounded the Tigers 44-34 to help lead the Wildcats to a thrilling 62-55 win over No. 20/18 Auburn in front of 4,511 fans Sunday in Memorial Coliseum. The win marked UK?s first over a ranked opponent this season and the first over Auburn in Memorial Coliseum since 2000.
?We are all smiles after this one,? UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. ?I thought we finished the game in really fine fashion. I was a bit concerned because we were turning the ball over at a level that I thought would prevent us from winning. We tightened down and had some big stops and some big rebounds there at the end. I am very, very pleased to beat a good Auburn team that we knew was going to be physically challenging today. Their offense is hard to guard. It takes a lot out of you physically to defend. So, I am very proud of our players for another great defensive performance and another win in the Southeastern Conference. We are real happy today.?
In a game that featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes, Kentucky (9-9, 3-1 SEC) trailed by only one point (53-52) with 2:51 remaining to a tough Auburn squad that upset No. 10 Georgia last week, 82-52.
Kentucky native and senior Chelsea Chowning (Berea, Ky.), who played just eight minutes in the game, came off the bench to drain a pivotal three-pointer from the corner with 2:09 to go, giving the Wildcats a 55-53 advantage. Auburn (13-5, 1-2 SEC) answered with two of Sherell Hobbs? game-high 16 points to tie the game at 55 each with 1:37 left on the clock. From there, Chowning again stepped up big for the Cats, hitting 3-of-4 free-throw attempts. After Auburn head coach Nell Fortner was assessed with a technical foul with :31 seconds to go, Chowning helped put UK up 58-55 by hitting 1-of-2 free throws.
Auburn was forced to foul in the closing seconds and again UK connected at the stripe. Sophomore Amani Franklin (Decatura, Ga.) and freshman Amber Smith (Winter Haven, Fla.) each nailed 2-of-2 tosses to seal the victory. The pair combined to finish 12-of-12 from the charity stripe in the game. All together, UK hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final 1:13.
?I have a lot of confidence in Chowning,? Mitchell said. ?I had a lot of confidence that she was going to get in there and compete. That was one thing I thought she could do. She could help us win games because she can make open shots and the one she had was a mighty big one and a key to getting us back in the game.?
Senior Sarah Elliott (Berea, Ky.) led UK with 14 points, including eight in the first half. She also grabbed seven rebounds. Senior guard Samantha Mahoney followed with 12 points for the second straight game. Franklin and Smith added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Smith pulled down a game and career-high nine rebounds while dishing out four assists.
Kentucky outrebounded its second consecutive opponent, owning the boards against Auburn 44-34. UK also outrebounded No. 2 Tennessee, 36-28, on Thursday night. UK?s defense held the Tigers to just 34.8 percent shooting (24-of-69), including 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from beyond the arc.
?It is one of our keys to win every game in the Southeastern Conference and in order to compete in this conference at a high level, we know we need to rebound at a high level,? Mitchell said. ?They continued to work hard and rebounding is a key. To outrebound a fine team like Auburn is something that I am proud of.?
Junior forward DeWanna Bonner, the SEC?s second-leading scorer and rebounder, was held to just eight points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 4:57 left in the game. She came into the game averaging a team-high 17.6 points and 10.2 rebounds.
Kentucky has had 11 games decided by 10 points or less, including seven of the last eight. UK holds a 6-5 record in those contests this season.
Auburn now owns a 23-11 advantage in the all-time series, including a 10-4 lead over Kentucky in Lexington. However, UK has won the last two in a row after defeating the Tigers in Auburn, Ala., last year.
Kentucky returns to action Thursday, Jan. 24, when it travels to Columbia, S.C., to take on the Gamecocks of South Carolina. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. EST and it will be carried live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) and televised live on FSN South.
