KENTUCKY WBB POSTGAME NOTES
Kentucky vs. Auburn
Memorial Coliseum – Lexington, Ky.
Feb. 1, 2018
 
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 65, Auburn 48
 
Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky rises to 12-11 overall, 4-5 in Southeastern Conference play this season with the win, while Auburn 11-10, 2-7 SEC.
  • The Wildcats are on a three-game win streak.
• Matthew Mitchell is in his 11th season as head coach at Kentucky. He is the winningest head coach in program history at 253-111.
• The Wildcats trails the all-time series between the two teams, 26-22.
  • UK has won the last nine consecutive games in the series.
• Kentucky will be back in action Sunday, Feb. 4, facing off against LSU at noon ET inside Rupp Arena.  The game will be shown live on SEC Network and will be broadcast 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 5-5 with that starting-five combination, including winning three straight games.
• Junior guard Maci Morris made back-to-back 3-pointers to start the game and give Kentucky an early 6-2 lead, but the Tigers responded with nine straight points.
  • Auburn ended the first quarter with a 12-11 lead.
• The Wildcats used a 14-0 run in the middle of the second quarter to pull ahead by as many as seven points.
  • UK held onto a 29-25 lead at halftime as Auburn hit a last-second half-court shot to cut Kentucky’s lead to four at the buzzer.
• The Tigers briefly took a one-point lead (32-31) at the 6:28 mark in the third quarter, but the Wildcats quickly responded with a layup from Taylor Murray at the other end and Kentucky did not trail again.
• UK began the fourth quarter with 13 unanswered points.
  • The 13-0 run was part of an overall 24-3 run which gave Kentucky a 24-point lead, which was its largest of the night at 65-41.
•  In its last three games, has outscored opponents by an average of 17.7 points (53).
• Despite having 25 turnovers in the game and Auburn only 20, UK outscored Auburn in points off turnovers, 32-24.
  • UK matched its season high with 16 steals.
• Kentucky has had 14 or more assists in each of its last three games and is 11-1 this season when having 14 or more dimes.
  • The Wildcats had 16 assists tonight.
• The Cats were 19-of-22 from the free throw line, which was their second-most made free throws in a game this season.
  • Auburn was just 3-of-6 from the charity stripe.

 
Player Notes

• Maci Morris added a game-high 18 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting in the win.

  • After hitting back-to-back 3s to start the game, Morris became the 33rd player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points.
  • Her 18 points came in just 25 minutes of play.
  • Her five made 3s matches her career high in the category.
  • She’s scored in double digits in all but three games this season, including four straight.
  • Morris now has 1,014 career points needing just nine more points to move into a tie for 32nd all-time on UK’s career scoring list.
• Taylor Murray added 14 points to go with five assists and five steals for UK.
  • She led the Wildcats in both steals and assists.
  • The junior has scored in double figures in six consecutive games.
• Alyssa Rice had a near double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
  • It was the 10th time in her career she’s scored in double figures.
  • She’s led UK in rebounding eight times this season.
• KeKe McKinney had a balanced stat line with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
  • McKinney played a career-high tying 35 minutes in the game.