LEXINGTON, Ky. –Behind Janee Thompson’s second-career double-double, the No. 12/11 Kentucky women’s basketball team picked up its fifth win in a row to start the 2015-16 season, downing the Eastern Michigan Eagles in Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon.
Thompson, who has now scored 10-plus points in four straight games for the first time in her career, scored 16 points and added in 10 assists. The Chicago, Ill., native went 6-of-11 from the floor, and 2-of-4 from 3-point range while also knocking down both of her free throws.
The Wildcats are now 5-0 to start the regular season for the firth time under head coach Matthew Mitchell and the first time since UK’s Elite Eight run in 2014-15.
After entering the locker room with just a two-point cushion on the Eagles, the Wildcats used a 24-4 run to close the last seven minutes of the third period to take a 66-47 lead after three periods of action. Kentucky outscored EMU 29-12 in the period. The 29 points scored by UK was its second-highest output in a period this season just one point shy of a 30-point fourth period vs. Morehead State.
Kentucky shot 59.3 percent from the floor on Wednesday, marking the highest shooting percentage for any UK team since Feb. 18, 2007 when UK shot 60.7 percent from the floor against Arkansas. Kentucky also had 42 points against a tough 2-3 zone from the Eagles, outscoring EMU by 12 in that category.
UK will take the Thanksgiving holiday off before returning to action on Sunday, Nov. 29 against Jackson State in Memorial Coliseum. The game will tipoff at 2 p.m. ET and be shown live on the SEC Network+, WatchESPN and ESPN3 with Jeff Piecoro and Christi Thomas on the call from Lexington.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, follow @UKHoopCats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
