Kentucky-Mississippi State Postgame Notes

Feb. 12, 2015

Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery

Kentucky improves to 19-5 overall, 8-3 in the SEC, while Mississippi State falls to 23-4, 8-4 SEC.
Kentucky moves to 731-491 (59.8) all-time in 41 seasons of varsity women’s basketball and 168-143 (54.1) in the month of February.
Matthew Mitchell, UK’s all-time winningest coach, improves to 219-105 overall, 190-76 at UK.
- Mitchell is now 79-40 in SEC play and 9-2 vs. Mississippi State.
This was the 41st meeting between the programs since UK began women’s basketball as a varsity sport in 1974-75.
- Kentucky leads the all-time series 24-17, and 11-8 in Memorial.
- UK has won the last eight meetings between the two sides, and four straight in Lexington.
Tonight’s attendance was 5,100.
Next up: UK will travel to No. 6/5 Tennessee for a top-10 showdown on Sunday. The game will be at 3 p.m. ET from Thompson-Boling Arena and will be shown on ESPN2.

UK started with the lineup of Linnae Harper, Makayla Epps, Bria Goss, Alyssa Rice and Jelléah Sidney for the fourth time this season.
- This lineup is now 4-0.
Kentucky went on a 6-0 run to begin the game and never trailed in the first half.
Kentucky led by as many as 14 at 48-34 and took a 48-36 score into intermission.
UK shot 60 percent in the first half, its best first-half percentage of the season.
UK is now 11-2 when leading at halftime this season, including 6-2 in SEC play.

UK began the second half with its original starting five.
Trailing 66-54 with six minutes to play, MSU went on a 15-2 run to take its first lead of the game at 69-68 with 2:19 to play.
Kentucky replied with two foul shots by Epps and a putback by Bishop to reclaim a 72-69 lead.
MSU’s Victoria Vivians knotted it at 72 with a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left.
Fouled with 5.9 seconds left, Goss hit both fouls shots but the Bulldogs’ Morgan William sent it to overtime with a driving layup with 00.6 on the clock. Score tied at 74.

Epps broke the deadlock with a 3-pointer with 3:49 on the clock and Goss followed with a jumper in the lane to make it 79-74.
UK led 81-76 when the Bulldogs made a 7-0 run to take the lead at 83-81 with 27 seconds to go.
Epps sent it to a second overtime, tied at 83, with a jumper with 11 seconds left.

Tied at 88, Epps clawed the Cats ahead with a short driving banker with 49 seconds left.
MSU’s Breanna Richardson tied it at 90 with a free-throw line jumper with 33 ticks to play.
On the last possession of the game, Epps drove the lane but missed. The ball was batted around, then Sidney saved the ball inbounds. Epps wound up with the ball and netted her career-high 42nd point of the game with a layup with 00.4 remaining.

UK improves to 321-21 (.939) overall and 75-3 (.962) under Matthew Mitchell when scoring 80 or more points. UK is 9-0 this season with netting 80 or more.
- Third straight game UK has scored 80 points.
- UK moved to 4-0 on the season when scoring 90 or more.
Kentucky is 27-24 all-time in overtime games, including 6-4 in double-overtime contests.
UK is 9-2 under Coach Matthew Mitchell in overtime tilts and 2-0 this season.
Kentucky forced Mississippi State into 27 turnovers, scoring a season-high 33 points off turnovers. UK won points off turnovers 33-14.
- UK is now 18-4 this season when forcing double-digit turnovers.
- UK has forced 20 or more turnovers in 21 of 24 games, including five of the last six.
- UK has forced at least turnovers in its last three games.
Kentucky shot 41.4 percent from the floor.
- Fifth SEC game this season shooting over 40 percent from the floor.

Sophomore Makayla Epps scored a career-high 42 points on 18-of-30 shooting from the floor.
- Scored 15 of UK’s 18 points in the overtime periods – seven in the first OT, and UK’s last eight in the second OT.
- 20th time this season she has scored in double figures, and seventh in a row.
- Added to her team-leading 68 assists with five more.
- Previous career best was 29 earlier this season in the overtime win vs. Oklahoma.
- Most points by a Wildcat since Jennifer O’Neill had 42 vs. Baylor in 4OT on Dec. 6, 2013.
- Most points in SEC play this season and most scored by an SEC player in the last five years.
- Only the fourth player in school history with 40 or more points in a single game.
- Tied UK’s single-game record for most field goals made (18) with Valerie Still (18 vs. Florida on Feb. 20, 1982).
- Her 30 FG attempts were the second-most in a single game in school history.
Senior Bria Goss tallied 16 points, tying her season high also achieved in wins vs. Northern Kentucky and Missouri.
Senior Jelleah Sidney grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and had the game-winning assist to Epps.
- Previous best was nine boards three games ago vs. Tennessee.
- Over the last four games has totaled 32 rebounds in 77 minutes of play, an outstanding ratio.

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