Feb. 21, 2010

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Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky improves to 23-4, 11-3 in the SEC while South Carolina falls to 13-13, 6-7 in the SEC.
• Kentucky owns a 26-17 advantage in the overall series, including a 15-5 edge in Lexington.
• Kentucky’s 21-point win over South Carolina is UK’s largest margin of victory in the series since a 28-point home victory (93-65) over the Gamecocks on Feb. 22, 1999.
• UK head coach Matthew Mitchell’s overall record improves to 86-65, including a 56-36 mark at UK. He is now 4-2 vs. South Carolina.
• Today’s attendance of 7,742 was a season high and it ranks as the sixth-largest crowd in Memorial Coliseum history. The previous attendance high for this season was 7,323 set against Louisville (12/20/09).
• Up next: UK hits the road for its last regular-season games this week. The Wildcats will take on No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., Thursday at 7 p.m. EST. The UK-Tennessee contest will be broadcast on FSN. UK concludes its regular-season schedule at Auburn Sunday at 3 p.m. EST.

Team Notes

• Key run: Kentucky scored nine of the first 10 points of the game and built its first double-digit lead of the game at 20-9 on a fast break layup by Lydia Watkins at 11:24. Watkins scored six points during the run, all in transition. A’dia Mathies also contributed six points during the spurt. The Wildcats never led by fewer than 10 points the rest of the half in surging to a 36-20 halftime cushion. UK pushed the tempo outscoring South Carolina 12-0 on fast break points in the half.
• The victory gives Kentucky a school-record 11th SEC win.
• UK’s 23 overall wins are the most by the Wildcats since the 1989-90 squad went 23-8.
• UK’s 23 overall wins tie the school record for most wins during the regular season. The 1982-83 and 1979-80 squads also won 23 regular-season games. The most wins overall in a season is 25 set in 1980-81.
• UK finishes the season with a perfect home record, going 17-0. It marks just the second time in school history that a UK team has accomplished that feat. The 1980-81 Wildcat squad went 15-0.
• Kentucky’s 17 wins in Memorial Coliseum also sets a new mark for home wins in a season. It breaks the school record for the most regular-season wins in Memorial Coliseum with 17. The previous high was 16 set by the 1981-82 squad.
• The Wildcats extend their home winning streak to 18 games in Memorial Coliseum, the most consecutive home wins since a 19-game streak set from Feb. 23, 1982 through Feb. 9 1983.
• Kentucky forced South Carolina in to 13 turnovers. The Wildcats have frustrated their foes into double-digit miscues in every game this season.
• UK won the rebounding battle 43-36 and improves to 16-0 this season when it out-rebounds its opponent. The Wildcats were out-rebounded 40-29 by South Carolina on Jan. 14 in Columbia, S.C.
• Kentucky improves to 15-1 overall and 6-1 in the SEC when scoring 70 or more points in a game.
• UK improves to 18-1 overall and 8-0 in the SEC when holding its opponent to under 60 points.
• The Wildcats made 18-of-19 free throws against the Gamecocks and have combined for 39-of-41free throws this week in wins over Florida and South Carolina.
• UK made a trio of three-pointers against South Carolina and has now made a three-pointer in 214 consecutive games, dating back to the 2003-04 season.
• Kentucky limited South Carolina to 32.3 percent (20-of-62) from the field for the game. The Wildcats held nine of its 10 SEC home opponents below 40 percent shooting (Vanderbilt-40.4 percent). UK is 22-3, 11-2 in the SEC when it limits the opposition to under 50 percent shooting.
• Kentucky started with the lineup of Lydia Watkins, Victoria Dunlap, Amber Smith Amani Franklin and A’dia Mathies for the second time this season. UK owns a 2-0 record with that lineup.
• All eight players that saw action scored at least two points. Carly Morrow did not play due to flu-like symptoms and Crystal Riley sat out with a foot injury.

Individual Notes

• Junior forward Victoria Dunlap finished with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field to go with nine rebounds, three steals and one blocks.
  • Ranks in 21st place on UK’s all-time scoring list with 1,106 points.
  • Ranks seventh place on UK’s career rebounds list with 739.
  • Ranks third at UK with 113 career blocks.
  • Moves into fifth place on UK’s career steals list with 84. Dunlap has recorded at least one steal in 34 consecutive games.
  • Moves into a tie with Sarah Elliott for third place on UK’s single-season blocks list with 50.
  • Has scored in double figures in 25 of 26 games played this season and 31 of the last 32 games she’s played.
• Freshman guard A’dai Mathies contributed 10 points to go with seven rebounds and two steals.
  • Has scored in double-figures in 19 of UK’s 27 games and 15 of 17 home games.
  • Has scored in double figures in nine of 14 SEC games, including seven straight.
  • Has pulled down at least four rebounds in 21 games this season.
  • Charted two steals and is just one away from tying UK’s freshman steals record of 69.
• Kentucky’s two senior forwards Lydia Watkins and Amani Franklin performed well in their final home game in Memorial Coliseum.
  • Watkins tallied 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting with six rebounds.
  • Franklin netted nine points to go with nine rebounds.
  • Watkins has played in 94 career games at Kentucky. She is set to graduate in May with a degree in sociology.
  • Franklin has played in 118 games with 68 starts. She is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in agriculture economics and a minor in business.
• Junior guard Amber Smith made all four of her free-throw attempts against South Carolina. Smith has now made 19 consecutive free throws dating back to the Mississippi State contest on Jan. 31. It ties for the ninth-longest streak in school history along with Lisa Collins (1981), Debbie Miller (1987) and Lydia Watkins (2008).
  • Smith scored eight points and handed-out a game-high five assists against South Carolina.