Murray Quickly Regaining Form for Improving UK
The No. 24 jersey might be the same, but Taylor Murray is a different player than she was just a couple weeks ago.
After an extended rough patch that came as Kentucky suffered a long losing streak, the Wildcats’ lightning-quick guard has returned to her play-making ways thanks to a shift in attitude.
“I thought she lived in a place of disappointment and discouragement for some time and you can’t get better in that,” Matthew Mitchell said. “It’s been some discouraging times, some disappointing results, but you can’t live there. You gotta pull yourself out of it and to her credit she has done that.”
With Murray playing her best game of the season on Thursday, it was no coincidence UK had its best performance too. Murray had 20 points, 10 assists and three steals as the Cats (10-11, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) downed Alabama (14-7, 4-4 SEC) by a final score of 79-54. Murray is the first player in school history to register 20 points and 10 assists.
“She made some great plays tonight and really proud of her resilience and being a big enough person she needed to change her attitude,” Mitchell said. “She has and you’ve seen some good play from her recently, and we need it. We need it desperately.”
Murray scored in double figures just once as UK lost eight straight during a stretch spanning December and January. She scored 19 as the Cats snapped the streak in a win at Florida and had 40 combined in two more losses leading up to the game against Alabama. This time, her big outing came in a winning effort, UK’s first in Lexington since early December.
Murray was impressive throughout, but no play was better than the one she made to close the first half. After Alabama had built a six-point lead early in the second quarter, Murray helped guide a run that gave UK the lead. Then, as time ticked down before halftime, Murray drilled a 3-pointer that sent the Cats into the locker room with a bounce in their step and a five-point margin.
“I was wide open, so why not shoot it?” Murray said. “The clock was rolling and I think (Mitchell) was trying to call a play. I was like, ‘I don’t have enough time.’ So I’m right there and I guess their defender was trying to look at their coach for what to do, so I was just open. I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to just shoot it.’ “
Murray made most all the shots she took, from the buzzer-beating 3 to a handful of midrange 2s to the fast-break buckets only she can create. There was a long stretch of the season during which Murray got almost no such opportunities as UK tried to build its half-court offense, but she’s off to the races once more.
“It’s gotta be both,” Mitchell said. “You gotta be able to use Taylor and let her get some burst in transition. I just thought she made some beautiful plays tonight pushing the ball and some great decisions. Didn’t force very much.”
Forcing it is an easy trap to fall into on a young, developing team, but Murray is remaining steadfast. It’s no surprise, then, that the youngsters around her are developing so quickly. Dorie Harrison (15 points, five rebounds) and KeKe McKinney (12 points, five rebounds) had solid outings once again to back up good performances against South Carolina over the weekend.
Combining them with a resurgent Murray, UK has reason for optimism entering the season’s final month.
“It feels good,” Murray said. “We’ve been working really hard and then just to see it pay off tonight is really a good feeling. So we have to take that same attitude and aggressiveness and stay as a team and a family and go to Arkansas.”
