KENTUCKY WBB POSTGAME NOTES
Gardner-Webb at Kentucky
Memorial Coliseum – Lexington, Ky.
Attendance: 4,256
Nov. 12, 2017
 
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 72, Gardner-Webb 34
 
Team Records and Series Notes
-Kentucky moves to 2-0 this season, following a 101-70 win over Sacramento State on Friday.
-Matthew Mitchell is in his 11th season as head coach at Kentucky. He is the winningest head coach in program history at 243-100.
-Kentucky is 432-152 all-time in Memorial Coliseum, including a 142-23 record under Mitchell.
-Today’s game was the first ever meeting between Gardner-Webb and Kentucky in women’s basketball.
-Kentucky is 13-1 all-time against teams in the current alignment of the Big South Conference.
-The Wildcats enter the season receiving votes in both the USA Today/Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 and The Associated Press Top 25. UK has been receiving votes or ranked in both preseason listings each of the last eight years.
-Kentucky will be back in action this Thursday, Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. ET, taking on Montana in its first road match of the season. The game will not be streamed/televised, but will be broadcast live on the UK Sports Radio Network with Darren Headrick calling the action.
 
Team Notes
-Kentucky used the starting combination of senior Alyssa Rice, senior Makenzie Cann, junior Taylor Murray, junior Maci Morris and freshman Dorie Harrison.

• UK is 2-0 with that starting-five combination.

-The Runnin’ Bulldogs got out to an early 4-0 start, but Kentucky quickly bounced back, using a 15-6 run to get back out in front to end the quarter.

• After being knotted at 12-12, a 3-pointer from KeKe McKinney and a breakaway layup from Amanda Paschal late in the first quarter helped put UK on top 17-12 to end the period.

-Kentucky carried momentum into the second quarter to extend its run to 19-0.

• During the run, seven different Wildcats put points on the board.
• It was UK’s first run of 10-0 or more this season.

-Gardner-Webb did not score a point until the 2:21 mark in the second quarter.

• Kentucky held GWU scoreless for 9:02 total from the first quarter into the second.
• GWU scored just four points on 2-of-14 shooting in the second period.

-Before the half, UK was dominating specialty stats, up 13-2 in points off turnovers, 7-0 in second-chance points and 17-0 in bench points.
-At the end of the third quarter, all 10 Wildcats that had entered the game had put at least two points on the board, including seven with at least five points.
-UK went on another 19-0 run in the fourth quarter to extend its lead to as many as 38 points with 2:52 to go in the contest.
-Kentucky once again held the Bulldogs to just four points in the final stanza.
-The Wildcats’ bench outscored GWU’s 28-0 in the game.
-UK outrebounded the Runnin’ Bulldogs, 53-28.
-Kentucky held its opponent to less than 40 points for the first time since Dec. 18, 2016 (36 by Radford).
 
Player Notes
–Alyssa Rice led UK in scoring for the first time in her career, adding 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

• Her 11 points matched a career high, set last season vs. Alabama (03/03/17).
• She also added eight rebounds in the win.
• Rice’s seven defensive boards also matched a career high.
• She’s had seven defensive boards four times in her career.
• Rice also had one assist and two blocks in the win.

–Maci Morris recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

• Her 10 rebounds were a career high.
• Morris led UK on the boards for just the third time in her career.
• Matched a career-high four assists, leading UK in the category for the fifth time.
• The junior also recorded a career-high three blocks in the win.
• She led UK in blocks for the 12th time in her career.
• She scored in double-digits for the 40th time in her career.

–Jaida Roper produced double-digit scoring for the first time in her career with 10 points.

• For the second consecutive games, set a career high in scoring.
• The sophomore was 5-of-5 from the floor in the win.
• It was the first double-digit scoring performance of her career.
• She added one rebound and two assists.

–Makenzie Cann added 10 points, seven rebounds, one block and one steal.

• It was the 17th double-digit scoring effort of her career, and the second in as many games this season.
• Set a career high with four offensive boards.

–Taylor Murray had eight points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal in the win.
–KeKe McKinney scored seven points to go along with seven rebounds in the win.

• Both categories were career highs for the freshman.

–Dorie Harrison added five points and five boards in the contest.