March 19, 2009

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Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky improves to 16-15 overall, while Chattanooga concludes its 2008-09 season with a 22-10 record.
  • The Cats have now posted 16 or more wins in five consecutive seasons.
• The Wildcats now lead the all-time series between the two teams 7-0, as the two teams have met in the postseason in three of the last five years.
• UK is now 12-0 all-time vs. teams from the current alignment of Chattanooga’s Southern Conference. The Wildcats are now 2-0 this season vs. the SoCon after beating Furman 74-35 on Dec. 6 in Lexington.
• Kentucky returns to action on Sunday in the WNIT Second Round when it travels to Madison, Wis., to face Big Ten Conference member Wisconsin. Time is set for 2 p.m. ET with the game carried live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with Neil Price.

WNIT Game Notes

• Kentucky is making its sixth all-time appearance in the WNIT and its fourth in the last five years.
• Though the tournament has gone through several different formats over the years, the Cats have advanced to at least the third round in each of the past five WNIT appearances.
• The Wildcats are making their school-record fifth consecutive postseason appearance.
• Kentucky is now 13-4 all-time when playing in the WNIT, including a 5-0 mark in first-round games.
• The Cats’ 10 total steals in the game tied a UK school record for most steals charted in a WNIT game. Kentucky also swiped 10 steals against Toledo on March 20, 1990 and vs. Wisconsin on March 22, 2007.

Overtime Game Notes

• Kentucky is now 21-22 all-time in overtime games and has won two consecutive extra-period contests, defeating Middle Tennessee 68-66 in last season’s WNIT second round contest.
• Head coach Matthew Mitchell is 3-2 all-time in overtime in his career and 2-1 at UK.
• The overtime game was the Cats’ first this season.
• The Wildcats have played an overtime period in three of their last four WNIT appearances.

Team Game Notes

• Key run: Kentucky scored the first four points of the overtime period to sway the momentum into its favor en route to an 81-76 victory. The Cats never trailed in the extra period.
• Kentucky used the starting line-up of Victoria Dunlap, Amani Franklin, Carly Ormerod, Eleia Roddy and Amber Smith for the eighth time this season. The Cats are 4-4 with that particular starting five.
• The Wildcats lost the rebound battle 40-39, snapping an eight-game streak of winning the battle of the boards. Kentucky has held the rebounding edge in all but nine games this season.
• Three Kentucky players – Victoria Dunlap (24), Amani Franklin (18) and Amber Smith (17) – each scored in double figures on Thursday. The Wildcats are 6-4 this season when three or more players score in double figures.
  • At least three players have scored in double digits for the Cats in 15 of the last 16 games.
• Kentucky took a 33-31 advantage into the locker room at halftime, marking the 16 th time in 31 games the Wildcats have either led or been tied at halftime. The Cats are now 13-3 overall when leading or tied at the break.
  • UK’s 33 first-half points marked the squad’s most points in a game’s opening half since scoring 34 first-half points against Arkansas on Jan. 11, 2009.
• The Wildcats have had 18 games – including four of their last six – decided by 10 points or fewer and are 8-10 in those games.
• Kentucky limited Chattanooga to 41.3 percent (26-of-63) shooting from the floor in the game and has now held 28 of its 31 opponents this season under 50 percent shooting.
• The Wildcats are now 251-19 (.930) since 1974 when scoring 80 or more points. UK is now 4-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points.
• Kentucky was 5-for-17 from beyond the arc and has now hit a three-pointer in 183 consecutive games.

Individual Game Notes

• Sophomore forward Victoria Dunlap finished with a career-high 24 points, marking her team-leading 23 rd double-figure scoring game of the season.
  • Dunlap Eclipsed the 20-point plateau for a team-leading fourth time this season and for the fifth time in her career.
  • Dunlap made a career-high 11 field goals.
  • Dunlap added nine rebounds, just missing a double-double, to increase her single-season rebounds total to 278.
  • Dunlap tied her career high with four assists. She has tallied four assists on three previous occasions, last on Jan. 25, 2009 vs. LSU. 
  • Dunlap tied her career high with 40 minutes of playing time. She has played 40 minutes on four previous occasions.
• Junior guard/forward Amani Franklin tallied her second double-double of the season and the fourth of her career, finishing with 18 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
  • Franklin has tallied double-figure point totals in 19 games this season, including seven of the last eight.
  • Franklin knocked down two three-pointers, giving her at least one three-pointer in 22 of 31 games this season.
  • Franklin was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and has been perfect from the charity stripe in two of her last three games. She has made four or more free throws in three consecutive games.
• Sophomore point guard Amber Smith tied her career high with 17 points. Smith also had 17 points in the team’s win against Yale on Nov. 28, 2008.
  • Smith Saw a career-high and team-high 42 minutes of action.
• Senior guard Carly Ormerod finished the game with five points, including one three-pointer. That gives her 100 three-pointers for her career and moves her into a tie with Natalie Martinez (1996-2000) for eighth place on the school’s all-time career three-pointers made list.
  • Ormerod played in her team-leading 105th career game.
• Senior forward/center Eleia Roddy had her streak of 24 consecutive free throws snapped at the 3:41 mark of the second half. That streak, which dated back to Feb. 12, 2009, ranks as the third-longest consecutive free throw streak in school history.