KENTUCKY WBB POSTGAME NOTES
Kentucky vs. Alabama
Memorial Coliseum – Lexington, Ky.
Jan. 25, 2018
 
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 79, Alabama 54
 
Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky rises to 10-11 overall, 2-5 in Southeastern Conference play this season with the win, while Alabama falls to 14-7, 4-4 SEC.
• Matthew Mitchell is in his 11th season as head coach at Kentucky. He is the winningest head coach in program history at 251-111.
• The Wildcats still lead the all-time series between the two programs, 29-17.
  • Kentucky has now won the last five games in the series.
• Kentucky will be back in action Monday, Jan. 29, traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network and 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 KeKe McKinney.

  • UK is 3-5 with that starting-five combination.
• Alabama started the second quarter on a 7-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game at the time of six points at 24-18.
• UK followed the Crimson Tide’s 7-2 run with a 9-0 run of its own.
  • That 9-0 run was the beginning of Kentucky’s 16-5 run to end the first half.
• Taylor Murray hit a huge 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give Kentucky its five-point lead at halftime (34-29).
  • That lead was UK’s largest of the game at the time.
  • It was just the second time Kentucky has led at halftime in SEC play this season.
  • UK is 9-2 when leading at halftime this season, including 2-0 in SEC games.
• The Wildcats stretched their lead to as many as 10 in the third quarter, but the Crimson Tide ended the third quarter on a 5-0 run to cut it back to five (54-49).
• UK blew its lead wide open using a huge fourth quarter, outscoring Alabama 25-5 in the final quarter.
  • Kentucky led by as many as 26 points in the final stanza.
• The 25-point victory marked UK’s largest since Kentucky defeated Evansville by 38 (100-62) on Dec. 5.
  • It was the first time UK has won an SEC game by 20 or more since beating Ole Miss 89-57 on Jan. 26, 2017.
• Kentucky shot 64.7 percent from the floor in the game, which was its first game shooting 60.0 percent or better since Feb. 18, 2007 vs. Arkansas.
  • The shooting performance was UK’s second-best in school history behind a 74.1 percent game vs. Alabama in 1987.
• UK outscored the Tide in the paint, 36-20, and off turnovers, 28-10.
• Four Kentucky players scored in double figures for the second consecutive game.

 
Player Notes

• Taylor Murray recorded her fourth career double-double with 20 points and a season-high 10 assists.

  • Murray became the first player in program history to have at least 20 points and 10 assists in an SEC game.
  • The performance marked the fourth 20-point, 10-assist performance in UK women’s basketball history, and the first since Makayla Epps vs. Morehead State on Nov. 18, 2015.
  • Over the past four games, Murray is averaging 19.8 points per game.
  • Her 10 assists marked the first double-digit assist performance from a UK player since she had 11 vs. Florida on Feb. 19, 2017.
  • It was the sixth time she’s led UK in scoring this season.
• Maci Morris added 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the win.
  • Fourteen of her 16 points were scored in the second half.
  • She now needs just 15 points to join Kentucky’s 1,000 point club.
  • Morris has scored in double digits in 17 of 20 games played this season.
• Dorie Harrison scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed five boards for UK.
  • Going 5-of-9 from the floor, her five made field goals were also a career high.
  • The freshman made a career-high five free throws on six attempts.
• KeKe McKinney matched her career-high with 12 points to go with five rebounds in the victory.
  • It was her second consecutive game scoring 12 points.
  • She’s averaging 11.0 points per game in the past three contests.