LEXINGTON, Ky. – Makayla Epps scored 20 points and Evelyn Akhator had her seventh double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds as the 18th-ranked Kentucky women’s basketball team got past Washington State 69-67 on Wednesday afternoon at Memorial Coliseum.
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The game came down to the final minute after Washington State had tied the game on a three-pointer by Alexys Swedlund with 1:12 left. On Kentucky’s next possession, Akhator was fouled and made both of her free throws to give Kentucky a 69-67 lead with 42 seconds remaining.
Washington State had three chances to score on its ensuing possession. But point guard Chanelle Molina missed two shots in the lane and Nike McClure missed two free throws with 12 seconds left in the game. Epps rebounded the second miss and Kentucky immediately called timeout.
Kentucky (9-3) got the ball to Maci Morris, who was fouled immediately by a Washington State defender. But Morris missed both free throws, giving the Cougars one last chance to win or tie. Swedlund was forced into a tough three-point attempt, which missed, giving the Wildcats a hard-fought victory.
The Wildcats were without sophomore point guard Taylor Murray for the second straight game. Murray broke the pinkie finger on her left hand in last week’s game against Arizona State and is day-to-day.
The Wildcats got things going early in the game, racing to a 10-2 lead in the first quarter. After a Washington State three-pointer, Kentucky went on a 14-0 run to stretch the lead to 24-5. The Wildcats would lead 26-8 at the end of the period. Cann hit all three of her three-point attempts in the quarter and led the Wildcats with nine points in the frame. Kentucky hit 10-of-14 (71 percent) from the floor in the first 10 minutes, while Washington State hit just two-of-15 (13.3 percent).
Washington State (5-6) opened the second quarter with a 6-2 run to cut Kentucky’s lead to 28-14. The Cougars would continue to cut into the lead and when Caila Hailey converted an old-fashioned three-point play, Washington State was within 10 at 35-25.
After Epps converted a three-point play, the Cougars went on an 11-0 run to close the half and cut Kentucky’s lead to 38-36 at the break. Washington State hit 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) in the period, while Kentucky hit just four-of-19 (21.1 percent) from the floor. After not scoring in the first quarter, Molina had 14 points in the second stanza.
Washington State got within a point at 40-39 early in the second quarter, but Kentucky responded with six straight points to keep the lead. But Washington State fought back and took their first lead at 50-49 on a three-pointer by Cameron Fernandez with 3:23 left in the third quarter. But the lead wouldn’t last, as Kentucky scored the next six points to lead 55-50. The Wildcats would lead 58-52 at the end of the third quarter.
Kentucky built the lead to nine at 63-54 early in the fourth quarter, but Washington State refused to go away. The Cougars scored five straight to cut Kentucky’s advantage to 63-59 with 5:36 remaining in the contest. And when Swedlund hit a three-pointer with 3:02 left in the game, the Cougars were within two at 66-64.
With 1:12 remaining in the game, Swedlund struck again, hitting a three-pointer to tie the game at 67-67, setting up the final sequence.
Kentucky returns to action on Dec. 29 when the Wildcats visit the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, N.C. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen on ACC Network Extra.
